OP and PKMN: Master of Illusions
by XFangHeartX
Summary: My first One Piece/Pokemon crossover. Read and review, and no flames or hate please. Post Time-Skip. Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

One Piece meets Pokemon: Master of Illusions

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, and Captain Knuckle © Me

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><p>Summary- During the Straw Hats voyage in the New World, strange things have been happening on the <em>Thousand Sunny<em>. Things have gone missing or are being chewed on, and it appears that there's not one, but TWO Luffys on the ship, and one of them seems to have grown a tail! It turns out that the Straw Hats have a little stowaway: Zorua! Zorua's been lost for quite a while, and Luffy had promised him that he'd take him back to his home in Lostlorn Island and reunite him with his mother. However, there are two corrupt Marines, Vice-Admiral Moss and his younger brother, Captain Knuckle, who are after Zorua for their own gain.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Another day of sailing for the _Thousand Sunny_, home to the Straw Hat Pirates, in the New World. The sea was calm today, at least for the moment, and the weather seemed to be great, today, as well.

The crew had just finished eating breakfast this morning, and Nami, the ship's navigator, was preparing to change into a new outfit, but when she got to the women's quarters, she was in for quite a surprise.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SHOES?"

Now, the Straw Hats knew all too well that when Nami yells at the top of her lungs, it's a signal that they should try and avoid her until she cools down, which takes about a couple of hours.

Nami came storming out of the women's quarters, carrying a pair of her favorite red high-heel shoes, which were riddled with teeth marks and saturated in saliva. She then kicked the door to the men's quarters open and looked to the corner. There, she saw her captain's dog, Blizzard, asleep.

"Blizzard!" Nami shouted.

Blizzard immediately jolted awake, and upon seeing Nami's angry visage, he just as soon cowered.

"Blizzard?" Nami questioned before she showed the wolf-dog her ruined shoes. "Did you do this?"

Blizzard looked up at Nami, then pointed at himself, questioningly, as if to say, "Me?"

"Yes, Blizzard," Nami said.

Blizzard shook his head "no".

"Oh, don't you lie to me, mister!" Nami said. "Who else has sharp teeth like yours? Honestly, I don't know why Luffy convinced me into letting him keep you! You know what? As punishment, no peanut butter for a week!"

Blizzard looked at Nami in disbelief, but he knew he had no say in the matter. He watched as the angry navigator left the room, leaving poor Blizzard to wonder what he did wrong.

This hasn't really been the first time that this has happened. Oddly enough, things on the ship appeared to be getting gnawed or chewed, like Zoro's dumbbells, Franky's…unmentionables, Blizzard's food bowls, and Nami's shoes, and for once, Blizzard was not the one doing the chewing.

_I have this funny feeling that I've been framed,_ Blizzard thought, _or my name is Balto…and it's not._

XXX

Later that day, Usopp was down in his Usopp Factory, tinkering as usual. He was making some armor for Blizzard and Chopper, just in case they ran into a really tough enemy.

"Okay," said Usopp. "Now I just have to hammer out these dents."

He reached into his tool box, but he couldn't seem to find his hammer, anywhere.

"The hell?" the sniper questioned before he began to search all over the room. "Where is it? Where's my hammer?"

With no success in finding it in the weapons room, Usopp decided to look somewhere on the upper deck.

As he got through the hatch, he was soon greeted by Luffy.

"Oh, hey, Luffy!" said Usopp. "Hey, have you seen my hammer?"

Luffy shook his head no.

"Oh," said Usopp. "Well, if you find it, bring it to me, will ya? I'm working on making some armor for Chopper and Blizzard."

Luffy nodded his head, vigorously.

With that, Usopp went back down below deck.

This is also isn't the first time this has happened. Things like Chopper's medical bag, Robin's glasses, Brook's beloved violin, and now Usopp's hammer were going missing, nowadays, in spite of everyone's best efforts to watch their things.

XXX

Sanji was in the kitchen, making snacks for the crew: fruit and honey tarts. As always, he was going to give the most to the girls while the guys got at least one or two.

At that moment, Luffy walked in.

"Oh, hey, Luffy," said Sanji, who held out a fruit tart to him, knowing that he must've smelled them and came to get one. "Here, but you only get one."

Luffy looked up at Sanji and tilted his head, as if he were confused.

"Look, Luffy, I'm offering you food," said Sanji, who was starting get a bit irritated. "Either take the tart or don't and get out."

Luffy looked to the tart in the cook's hand, and decided to take it. He gave Sanji a grateful smile before he turned to leave with the treat in hand.

However, as he was leaving, Sanji spotted what appeared to be…a slate gray, bushy tail!

"What in the world?" Sanji questioned. "Since when did Luffy grow a tail?" He then shook his head. "I must be imagining things. As soon as I see Nami and Robin's smiling faces, everything will be fine."

"Hey, Sanji."

Sanji cringed, and then turned to see…Luffy, who was wearing a big smile.

"Luffy?" a bewildered Sanji asked. "Weren't you just in here?"

"No," said Luffy.

"Yes, you were," said Sanji. "You just came in here and I gave you a strawberry tart so you'd leave!"

"No, you didn't," said Luffy. "I just got in here. Can I have a tart?"

"No!" Sanji said. "I just gave you one! Now get outta here!"

"But I want a tart~!" Luffy whined.

**GRRRUUUUMMBLE!** His stomach growled.

"See?" the captain asked. "My tummy's grumbling!"

"You'll just have to wait till lunch!" Sanji snapped.

Luffy whimpered like a kicked puppy.

"But I'm hungry~!" he whined.

"Too bad!" Sanji snapped.

"What's going on in here?"

Luffy turned to see Nami entering.

"Oh, hello, Nami, dear!" Sanji greeted, lovingly.

"Nami, Sanji won't let me have a fruit tart!" Luffy whined to the navigator. "Make him gimme one!"

"Oh?" Nami muttered. "But…I just saw you outside, eating one."

"But I just got here~!" Luffy whined, preparing to throw a big childish tantrum. "I want a fruit tart and I won't leave till I get one!"

"Okay, okay!" Nami said. "Sanji, please give Luffy a fruit tart so he can stop whining."

"Yes, Nami~!" Sanji replied, twirling around before he handed Luffy a tart.

"Remember, Luffy," Nami said. "You only get one or two! No more! You know how you make your stomach upset if you eat too many."

"Yes, Nami," Luffy said before he took the tart. "Thanks, Sanji."

With that, Luffy left the kitchen, leaving Nami and Sanji rather bewildered.

These days, it was like Luffy was in two places at one time, and it made the rest of the Straw Hats confused, not to mention…somewhat concerned.

"Sanji?" Nami asked.

"Yes, Nami?" Sanji asked.

"Did you notice that something strange has been going on, lately?"

"You mean like how things seemed to be disappearing around the ship, like Usopp's hammer, Chopper's backpack, Brook's violin, and Robin's glasses?"

"Yeah, and how some things look like they've been chewed on, like Zoro's clothes, Franky's…unmentionables, Blizzard's food bowls, and my shoes, and Blizzard wasn't the one who was chewing on them, for once?"

"And the fact that Luffy seems to be in two places at once, like there's two of them?"

"Yeah…and…did you notice that he seemed to grow this gray, bushy tail?"

Sanji nodded.

"I think Luffy might be hiding something," said Nami.

"But what?" Sanji asked.

"That's what we're gonna find out," Nami answered. "Go and get everyone except Luffy together."

XXX

Outside, Luffy was sitting on the rail, enjoying his fruit tart. He loved the tastes of strawberries, lime, apple, peach, and a little bit of honey all rolled up in one delicious pastry. Maybe Sanji said that he had already gotten one as a lie so he wouldn't get one at all. At least, that was what he figured.

"Luffy!"

Luffy turned to see Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Blizzard, and Brook approaching him from behind.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy greeted his crew. "What's going on?"

"Listen up, Luffy," said Nami. "Strange things are afoot here."

"Strange things?" Luffy repeated. "Like what?"

"For one thing," Zoro began, "things on the ship are getting chewed on, like my training equipment."

"And Blizzard's food bowls," added Robin.

"And my underwear!" Franky chimed in.

"Not to mention my favorite red shoes," said Nami, "WHICH, I remind you, were REALLY expensive!"

"And things have been going missing around here," added Usopp, "like my hammer!"

"And my backpack!" Chopper exclaimed.

"And my violin," Brook added.

"As well as my sunglasses," Robin said.

"Also," Sanji began, "you seem to be in two places at once, like there's two of you, and it looks like you grew a tail out of nowhere!"

Luffy gulped.

"Uh…you don't say…"

"We know you have something to do with all of this," Nami said as she pointed a finger in his scarred chest. "Now fess up!"

By this time, Luffy was sweating bullets.

He knew it was only a matter of time before the others caught on to him, he just wished that it wasn't so fast. Then again, Luffy never was good at keeping secrets.

"Well, Luffy?" Usopp asked. "We're waiting!"

"Well…I…uh…" Luffy muttered.

Suddenly, he spotted the hatch opening on the deck behind the others, and out from under the deck came…another Luffy!

"Uh…guys?" Chopper asked. "Look!"

The rest of the Straw Hats turned and saw the second Luffy come out…and this Luffy had that bushy tail!

"W-wait a minute," said Franky. "There are TWO Luffys now?"

"But…which one is the REAL Luffy?" Nami questioned.

"WHAT'S GOING ON, HERE?" Usopp yelled, exasperated.

"Oh, good!" said Luffy as he ran to his…copy, and put an arm around his shoulders. "So, listen It looks like the others caught on a little sooner than I planned."

Luffy #2 tilted his head, and then looked to the crew, who, except for Robin, looked utterly flabbergasted.

"I think it's time they knew," Luffy continued, "so, what do you say you drop the disguise, all right?"

Luffy #2 nodded, before he started to glow purple.

"W-what's happening?" Nami asked.

**FWIP!** The second Luffy jumped into the air and looked he was doing somersaults, but as he did, he seemed to shrink into a pinkish-purple ball that was about Chopper's size, until it fell on the grass, and that's where it began to take on a different shape. As the light disappeared, something was revealed to the eyes of the crew.

It looked like some sort of fox, only it had slate-gray fur with a large, whorled scruff of fur on its head with a red, flame-like accent on it. It had big, triangular ears with black insides, and red eyelids, as well as circular "eyebrow" markings on its forehead of the same coloration, as well as red tipped paws. Around its neck was a mane of black fur. On its backside was the same bushy tail that the Straw Hats been seeing on the second Luffy. The little creature gave a mischievous snicker.

The Straw Hats could only stare in disbelief as Luffy picked the creature up and took it into his arms. The captain looked to his crew with a smile.

"_I surprised them,"_ the fox said, not through his mouth, but somehow telepathically. _"Didn't I, Luffy?"_

"Yeah, you sure did," Luffy replied.

"L-Luffy," Usopp said. "W-w-what…what is that…that THING?"

"Guys," Luffy began, "this is Zorua!"

There came a moment of silence as the Straw Hats stared at the animal in Luffy's arms, until finally, they had all, sans Robin, come up with just one answer.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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><p>My first One PiecePokemon crossover fic!

Be gentle, please.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, and Captain Knuckle © Me

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><p>The Straw Hats stood in disbelief. There was some…fox-like creature, introduced as "Zorua", sitting in Luffy's arms and smiling, like it belonged there, and Luffy was chuckling about it!<p>

"Well, I guess we should've seen this coming," said Zoro with a sigh. "Our captain's found himself yet ANOTHER weird creature!"

"I don't believe it," said Robin as she approached Luffy and took the little thing out of Luffy's arms. "Zorua!"

"You know him, Robin?" Luffy asked.

"No, I don't, actually," Robin said. "Zorua is actually the name of his species."

Zorua seemed to hum in content as Robin held him.

"_You smell like flowers,"_ he said, telepathically.

"So, Robin," Usopp began, "what exactly IS Zorua?"

"Zorua is actually a species of Pocket Monster," Robin explained, "or 'Pokemon'."

"A Pokemon?" Chopper repeated.

Robin nodded as she pet Zorua on the head.

"Pokemon are very fascinating creatures," he continued. "They come in all different shapes, sizes, and types, too. For instance, Zorua is a Dark-type Pokemon. It's also known as the Tricky Fox Pokemon."

"Why's it called that?" Sanji asked.

"Because Zorua can change its appearance to protect itself from enemies," Robin answered. "It's known for playing tricks on people and surprising them."

"How does it do that?" Franky asked.

"With a special ability called 'Illusion'," said Robin. "With this, it can turn into different people and Pokemon, but it's still quite young, so its ability is a bit underdeveloped."

"Underdeveloped?" Usopp repeated. "Oh, wait! I think I get it now! Even though Zorua can disguise himself as other people, his tail still shows, right?"

"Yes," said Robin.

"He…" Nami started, "…he…he's…!"

**SNATCH!** She grabbed Zorua out of Robin's arms and pulled him into an airtight embrace, nuzzling her face against his. Zorua didn't seem to take a liking to this, for his face looked strained.

"He's ADORABLE~!" Nami swooned.

"_Ah!"_ Zorua cried. _"Luffy, help! What is she doing?"_

Luffy just chuckled and said, "Relax, Zorua. She's just showing her affections!"

"_Well, it hurts!"_ Zorua cried.

"Well, love hurts," said Luffy.

_Ain't that the truth?_ Blizzard thought.

Zorua managed to pull himself free from Nami's grasp, and ran to hide behind Luffy's leg.

"Uh, Robin?" Sanji called. "You said Zorua can change into different people, correct?"

"Yes," Robin replied.

Sanji snickered as he scratched his chin and looked to Zorua.

However, Nami knew that look all too well.

"Sanji, don't even think about it!" she snapped. "If you're thinking about using Zorua for one of your perverted ideas, you've got another thing coming!"

"P-perverted?" Sanji repeated. "Me? No, Nami! Never!"

"Yeah, right," Zoro grumbled.

"I heard that, Cactus-head," said Sanji.

"What'd you call me, Dartboard?"

"You heard EXACTLY what I called you, you crap swordsman!"

"I ought to hack you into sushi, you dumb-ass cook!"

"ENOUGH!"

**KONK!** Nami threw both of her fists into Zoro and Sanji's skull, leaving large bumps on their heads.

"_L-Luffy,"_ Zorua stammered as he hid behind Luffy's leg more. _"She's kinda scary."_

"Don't remind me," Luffy said.

"Anyway," Nami said, "Luffy, where did you find Zorua anyway?"

"I found him at the last island we were at," replied Luffy as he picked Zorua up and perched him on his shoulder. "It all started on the day we were about to leave."

_Flashback, two days ago_

The Straw Hats were gathering up whatever supplies and rations they could from the island. They were lucky that this island welcomed pirates, otherwise, they'd been chased off the moment they got there.

"Okay, guys!" Nami said. "Just a few more barrels, and then we're out of here!"

"How come she's doing none of the work?" asked Usopp.

"Shut it," Zoro said. "If she hears you, she'll raise our debts."

Nami looked around and noticed that there was one person missing.

"Has anyone seen Luffy?" she asked.

"The last time I saw him," Chopper started, "he was still in the woods. I think he's still exploring some more."

Nami heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Of all the…" she grumbled before she put her thumb and index finger in her mouth.

**FWEET!** She made a high-pitch whistle.

"Blizzard!" she called.

Blizzard jumped down from the ship in front of the navigator.

"Go look for Luffy, will you?" Nami asked him.

Blizzard nodded before he ran off.

XXX

"YAHOO~!"

**WHOOSH!** Luffy swung through the trees by his stretching arms. He loved the feeling of the wind of his hair and the rush of adrenaline. It made him feel like he was true to his surname.

As Luffy climbed up to the very top of one of the evergreens, he suddenly heard what sounded a voice in the distance.

"_Help! Help, somebody! Anybody, help!"_

Luffy looked around, bewildered, but he didn't see anyone down below him. He jumped down from the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. He looked around, again, but he still didn't see anybody. Just when he was about to turn and leave, he heard the voice, again.

"_Help! Help! Please, help!"_

"Hello?" Luffy called. "Is someone out here?"

No answered.

"Well, that's weird," the captain muttered. "Where's that voice coming from?"

Deciding that he'd never find out just standing, Luffy decided to explore a little bit more, but he had to be quick about it. He knew that this was the last day to be one the island and that the crew couldn't leave without him.

Also, he didn't want Nami to beat him up, again. He loved her and everything, just not when she got mad, especially at him.

Acting completely on instinct, as always, Luffy found himself at the entrance of a cave, and it sounded like the voice was coming from within.

"_Help! Somebody, please help me!"_

Luffy entered the cave, which was, as expected, very dark, but thanks to his Haki, he was able to tell which way to go. As he kept walking, the voice he kept hearing was getting louder, so that obviously meant that he was getting closer.

"Hello~!" Luffy called out.

"Hello~!" his echo called back.

"_Help! Someone, help me!"_

"Where are you?" Luffy called.

"_I'm down here!"_

Luffy looked down and saw a small fox-like creature, standing helplessly on a narrow-ledge, looking at Luffy, pleadingly.

"Are you the one that's been calling for help?" Luffy asked.

"_Yeah!"_ the fox answered, not with its mouth but rather with its thoughts. _"Can you please help me get out of here? I've been stuck here since yesterday!"_

"How'd you get down there?" Luffy asked.

"_I was getting chased by these humans in white-and-blue clothes,"_ the fox answered, _"and I ran in here to get away, but now, I can't find a way out of here!"_

"H-hang on!" Luffy called to the fox. "Stay right there! I'm coming to get you!"

Luffy began to climb down to the ledge, being careful not to slip and fall, or do anything that might make something fall on top of him or the fox. Once he made it over, he reached his hand out to him.

"Come here," said Luffy. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

The fox was hesitant, but he eased up to Luffy and brushed his face against his palm. Luffy then gently hoisted him up into his arms and cradled him.

"There you go," said Luffy.

"_Thank you,"_ said the fox.

Suddenly, **KROOSH!** The ledge began to crumble under Luffy's weight.

"Uh-oh," Luffy muttered. "Something tells me we better get outta here, fast-"

Before he could finish, the ground gave way, causing both Luffy and the fox to fall.

"WHOA!" Luffy cried

"_AAAAAAAAAHH!"_ the fox screamed through his head.

Luffy, on the other hand, didn't panic. Instead, **WROING!** He stretched his arm and grabbed another ledge, one that was more stable.

"Hang on!" Luffy said to the fox. "Gum-Gum…ROCKET!"

**WHOOSH!** Luffy propelled himself up to higher ground, carrying the fox with him. **TMP!** He landed safely.

"There we go," said Luffy. "You okay?"

The fox nodded.

"_Thank you for saving me,"_ he said, telepathically.

Luffy smiled as he carried the fox outside. The little guy closed his eyes to block out the sunlight, but after a moment, they adjusted, and he reopened them.

"_Oh, that's much better,"_ the fox said.

"Hey, I just realized," Luffy began, "you can talk! How can you do that? That's so cool!"

"_I don't know,"_ the fox said. _"I guess I just can."_

"Oh," said Luffy. "Well, it's still cool! Heh-heh-heh-heh!" He looked to the fox and noticed that he had a rather sad expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

The fox sniffled and said, _"I wanna go home."_

Luffy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I thought this was your home," he said.

The fox shook his head.

"_I don't live here,"_ he said. _"There was this storm at my home island, and the wind picked me up, carried me away, and then dropped me here. I've been here for a long time…and I miss my home. I miss my friends."_ He started to tear up. _"I…I miss my Momma!"_

Luffy felt his heart go out to the sobbing little creature.

If there was one thing that really got to him, it was the bond of a mother and child.

Luffy smiled and gently pet the fox on the head.

"Don't worry, little guy," he said. "I'll help you get home."

The fox gasped.

"_You will?"_ he asked. _"Will you help me get back to my Momma, too?"_

"I promise."

"_Hooray~!"_

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, by the way," said Luffy. "And you are?"

"_My name is Zorua!"_ the fox answered.

"Zorua, huh?" Luffy repeated. "That's a cool name!"

"_Thanks! Yours is cool, too!"_

_**AROOOOOOOOOO~!**_

"_Who's that?"_ asked Zorua.

"That must be my dog, Blizzard," said Luffy. "Quick!" He stuffed Zorua into his shirt. "Hide in here, and don't move!"

Zorua nodded.

At that moment, Blizzard appeared from the bushes and approached Luffy.

"Hey, buddy!" Luffy said as he petted the wolf-dog on his muzzle. "Came to get me, huh?"

Blizzard nodded.

"I guess Nami's getting pretty mad, huh?"

Blizzard nodded, again.

"Well, I guess we better get going," said Luffy. "I'm getting hungry, anyway."

With that, Luffy mounted on Blizzard's back, making sure that his "cargo" was safely secure.

"Let's ride!"

At that cry, Blizzard ran off at top speed, carrying Luffy (and Zorua) with him.

_Flashback end_

"And that was it," Luffy said.

"That still doesn't explain what happened to our things, though!" Usopp said.

"_I'm sorry,"_ said Zorua. _"It's just…I'm growing in some new teeth, see?"_ He opened his mouth, revealing a pair of developing fangs. _"They hurt a little, so I have to chew on things to make it better. I also took a few things because I liked the way they smelled."_

"I had to keep Zorua in the Energy Room under the deck until I was ready to tell you guys," said Luffy. "He couldn't really sleep down there all alone, so I took my futon and slept down there with him, but now that the dog's out of the bag, we don't have to anymore!"

"Don't you mean 'cat's out of the bag'?" Sanji questioned.

"So, what do you say, guys?" Luffy asked. "Wanna help me get Zorua back home?"

"Well, Luffy," Nami said, "I think it's nice of you to do that for Zorua, but…we don't know where he lives."

"Well, I don't know, either," Luffy said. "I was hoping you knew!"

"_Well, don't look at me,"_ Zorua said. _"I'm just a kid! I don't know where I live, either!"_

"Luffy, if we don't know where Zorua came from," Zoro began, "how in the hell do you expect us to get him home to his mom?"

"Lostlorn Island."

Everyone turned to Robin, who had left during the flashback and came back with a book in hand.

"What'd you say, Robin?" asked Nami.

"It's the name of Zorua's homeland," said Robin. "It says so in this book."

"Why's it called Lostlorn Island?" Chopper asked.

"Well, for some reason," Robin answered, "people somehow end up getting lost in the island's forest because it was like a labyrinth. They say the landscape keeps changing."

"How so?" Brook asked.

"No one knows," Robin said. "I'm hoping to go there to find out, myself."

"Then it's decided!" Luffy said. "Lostlorn Island, here we come!"

"_Yay!"_ Zorua cheered. _"I'm gonna see my Momma, again!"_

"Hold on!" Nami said. "Luffy, didn't Zorua that he was being chased by some men in white-and-blue clothes?"

Luffy nodded in response.

"Then that means the Marines might be after him," Nami mused.

"_Marines?"_ Zorua repeated, curiously. _"What're they?"_

"The Marines are those people that were chasing you before I met you," said Luffy. "Remember? They wear white-and-blue clothes!"

"_Oh, yeah!"_ said Zorua.

"Marines are the bad guys," said Chopper. "They don't like us and try to arrest us because we're notorious pirates, but that doesn't make us bad!"

"_Oh,"_ said Zorua. _"So, you're saying I should stay away from them?"_

"Why would the Marines be after you, anyway, Zorua?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, what do they want with you?" Franky added.

"_I dunno,"_ Zorua answered.

"Well, whatever they want you for, they can't have you," Luffy said. "They'll have to get through me, first!"

"And me, too," Nami said.

"Don't forget me!" Chopper chirped.

"Count me in," said Zoro.

"Me, too!" exclaimed Franky.

"Same here," Sanji added.

"Likewise," Robin said.

"Yo-ho-ho!" Brook chortled.

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked.

"And the great Captain Usopp will be there, too!" said Usopp.

Zorua smiled at the Straw Hats.

"_Thank you,"_ he said. _"Thank you, all, so much!"_

"Hey, you're our friend now," said Luffy. "We always look out for our friends. Don't we, guys?"

"Yeah!" the Straw Hats agreed.

"_Friends…"_ Zorua mused.

XXX

Meanwhile, about 5 or 6 miles away from the _Thousand Sunny_, a Marine vessel was seen sailing along the waters of the New World. The sailors on board were all walking around the ship, doing chores and keeping watch along the horizon.

One Marine approached the door to the main office of the higher-ranking Marine that was in charge of this vessel.

"Vice-Admiral?" the soldier called as he knocked on the door. "Vice-Admiral Moss?"

The door opened, revealing a tall, muscular brute of a Marine with dark brown hair and a Glasgow smile on the left side of his cheek, Tattooed on his right arm was the kanji for "justice is power". The Marine grimaced at the sight of the scar, but then regained his composure. The Marine also wore a coat that dangled from his shoulders like a cape.

"E-excuse me, Captain Knuckle," said the Marine. "May I please and speak to Vice-Admiral Moss? It's important."

"Let him in, brother," said a low, masculine voice.

Knuckle stepped back, letting the Marine enter.

"So, sailor," said the voice again. "What news do you bring me?"

The speaker of the voice was a rather slender man, about 5'2". He had long, pale-blond hair, and on his hands were a pair of brown fingerless gloves. He reached up, took a cigar out of his mouth, blew out a puff of smoke, and then gently tapped the ashes off into an ash tray.

"Well, Vice-Admiral, sir," said the Marine, "a pirate ship has recently been sighted."

"A pirate ship, you say?" asked Vice-Admiral Moss.

"Yes, sir."

"And no news of the creature?"

"Well, actually, sir, that's another thing. We had attached a Surveillance Transponder Snail to a seagull, and we've confirmed that the creature had been sighted on the pirates' vessel."

"Is that so?"

"That's not all, sir. The pirate ship…it belongs to the notorious Straw Hat crew!"

A pause.

Then, Moss began to snicker as he stood up from his desk.

"It looks like our luck has finally changed, brother."

Knuckle smiled.

"Prepare the men for battle!" Moss ordered. "Apprehend those pirates at any cost!"

"Yes, sir!" the Marine said with a salute.

"And another thing…when you apprehend the creature, I want it…ALIVE."

"Yes, sir."

Moss snickered as he put his cigar back in his mouth. Knuckle also snickered as he cracked his namesakes.

"At last," Moss began, "Zorua will soon be ours…and we will collect the price on 'Straw Hat' Luffy's head, to boot!"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Review, please!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, and Captain Knuckle © Me

* * *

><p>"Hold still, will ya? How do you expect to get clean if you keep squirming around so much?"<p>

"_Stop it, Luffy! You're hurting me!"_

"Luffy, you're scrubbing him too hard! What are you trying to do, take off his skin?"

"Sorry!"

Luffy was in the bathhouse with Nami, trying to give Zorua a bath in the sink. However, it proved to be easier said than done. Zorua wouldn't sit still, but it was because Luffy kept scrubbing the little guy much too hard to the point where he was hurting him. Not just that, but he never had this kind of a bath, before.

"Here, Luffy," said Nami as she lathered the soap on Zorua's fur and gently scrubbed his head. "Like this, see?"

Zorua hummed in relaxation as Nami continued to clean out all the dirt and debris out of his fur.

"Good boy, Zorua," said Nami. "Now, you try Luffy."

Luffy nodded before he began to scrub Zorua's back and tail, this time making sure to be gentle with him. The Straw Hat captain smiled and chuckled at how relaxed Zorua was being.

"There you go, Zorua!" he praised.

"Now roll him over so you can scrub his tummy," said Nami, "and make sure none of the soap gets in his eyes!"

Luffy nodded again before he rolled Zorua over in the sink and started to scrub his belly. Zorua seemed to like it very much, for he made small content noises.

"Okay, that's enough," said Nami. "Time for him to get rinsed."

Luffy turned on the faucet and began to rinse Zorua's fur off.

"_Could you make the water a little warmer?"_ Zorua asked.

Nami nodded and turned on the hot water, making the water lukewarm.

"_That's better,"_ said Zorua. _"Thank you."_

Luffy and Nami smiled.

Once Zorua was rinsed off, they took him out of the sink and started to dry him off with a towel, gently.

"There you go," said Luffy. "All clean."

"_Thanks, Luffy,"_ said Zorua. _"Thanks, Nami."_

Luffy put Zorua down on the floor.

"Now, why don't you go play with Blizzard?" he asked him.

"_Okay!"_ Zorua said before he scampered off.

"He's so cute," said Nami. "He's just like a little puppy!"

"Yeah, I know," Luffy said with a snicker.

XXX

Zorua ran out onto the deck to find Blizzard, who was taking a nap on the lawn, under the shade of the tree. The Tricky Fox smiled before he ran up to the wolf-dog and sat on his head. Blizzard opened his sleepy eyes and looked up at him.

"_Hi, Blizzard!"_ Zorua said. _"Wanna play?"_

Blizzard just stood up and yawned, causing Zorua to roll off of his head. Zorua took it as a sign of playfulness, so he started to nip at the wolf-dog's ears. Blizzard, now getting irritated with the Tricky Fox Pokemon, pulled away from him, grumpily. He gave Zorua a glare that said "Get away from me!"

"_Don't you wanna play with me, Blizzard?"_ Zorua asked.

Blizzard turned away from Zorua and laid himself back down.

Zorua's ears fell to the sides of his head.

He had this distinct feeling that Blizzard didn't really like having him around.

"Hey, Zorua."

Zorua turned and saw Chopper approaching him.

"_Oh. Hi, Chopper,"_ he said.

"What's the matter?" the reindeer asked him.

"_Blizzard won't play with me,"_ Zorua answered. _"I don't think he likes me, at all."_

"Oh, no, Zorua!" Chopper said. "It's not that Blizzard doesn't like you! He's just taking a nap, right now, that's all! He doesn't like being disturbed."

Blizzard yawned before he returned to his slumber.

"_I see,"_ said Zorua. _"Now that I think about it, I'm a little tired, too."_

A yawn escaped his mouth.

"Why don't you go ahead and lay down?" Chopper asked.

Zorua nodded before he approached Blizzard, once again, and then brushed up against his side. This cause Blizzard to awaken, but only for the moment. Zorua curled up against the huge wolf-dog, eyes closed and breathing soft.

Blizzard looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but Chopper was gone, and as far as he could see, no one else was there to see him and Zorua like this. With that in mind, Blizzard laid back down to continue his nap, but then, he looked to Zorua, and gave a small smile.

_He's not really so bad for a little fox thing,_ he thought before he returned to sleeping.

Little did he know was that he had actually been watched the whole time…by Luffy, who was wearing a grin on his face.

"You can fool the others, Blizzard," Luffy began, "but you can't fool me."

Suddenly, Usopp's voice came on the intercom from the crow's nest.

"**Hey, guys! We got trouble! Marine battleship spotted from the rear, and it's coming this way!"**

Everybody except Blizzard and Zorua gathered at the aft of the ship and saw that Usopp was indeed correct: a Marine battleship was coming right for them from behind.

"About time," Zoro said. "I was just in the mood for some exercise."

"It looks like I was right," said Nami. "The Marines are after Zorua!"

"Blizzard!" Luffy called.

Blizzard and Zorua, who had woken up from Usopp's announcement, looked up at Luffy.

"Quick, buddy! You gotta hide Zorua! The Marines are coming!" Luffy ordered.

When Blizzard heard "Zorua" and "Marines" in that order, he knew he had to act quick. He picked Zorua up by his mane and then carried him off into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet under the sink and put the little Pokemon there.

"_Blizzard, wait!"_ Zorua called. _"Where're you going?"_

Blizzard gave Zorua a stern look that said, "Stay put", and that's what Zorua did.

By the time Blizzard came back outside, he saw that the battleship had already caught up with the _Sunny_ and was now beside her.

"Get ready, you guys," said Luffy.

"Right," said Nami.

Just then, Vice-Admiral Moss came out of his quarters, followed by his brother, Knuckle, as well as many other Marine soldiers.

"Well, well, well," said Moss, his hands behind his back and a cigar in his mouth. "If it isn't the notorious Straw Hat Pirates?"

Usopp looked up at Knuckle, and couldn't help but grimace at his Glasgow scar.

"Who the hell are you?" Luffy questioned.

"I am Vice-Admiral Moss," the Vice-Admiral introduced himself before he turned to his brother. "This here is my younger brother, Captain Knuckle."

"Younger?" Sanji repeated under his breath.

"Now, you are well aware that you are all a crew of infamous criminals," Moss said. "As such, my men and I have to apprehend you and take you in."

"Like that'll ever happen!" Nami snapped.

Moss smirked.

"Also," said Moss, "you pirates have something that I want."

"We do not," said Zoro. "Whatever you want, it definitely isn't here!"

"Yeah, so get lost!" Sanji added.

"Yeah!" Luffy chimed in. "Zorua's not here- OUCH!"

Nami drove the heel of her shoe into Luffy's foot.

"Shut up, Luffy…!" she growled.

Luffy grunted in pain as he held his foot and hopped up and down.

"So, it is here, eh?" Moss mused. "Knuckle, if you would?"

Knuckle nodded before he pulled out what looked like a dog whistle, only it was copper. He blew into it, and it made a small toot.

Suddenly, a gray-and-black blur came out of Moss's quarters and soon joined him at his side. It looked like some sort of wolf or a hyena, only its body was a mixture of gray and black with black colorations on its lower legs, clawed paws, and tail. It also had dark, triangular streak patterns below its eyes, which have yellow sclera and red irises. Its ears were rhombus-shaped with dark insides, gray paw pads, and noses that were red in coloration. It also had black, eyebrow-like extensions on its head from the black shaggy "mantle" of fur on its back.

"Is that a wolf?" Chopper asked.

"It looks more like a hyena," said Luffy.

"You're wrong," said Robin. "It's Mightyena."

"Mightyena?" Sanji repeated.

"The Bite Pokemon, and the evolved form of Poochyena," said Robin. "Mightyena tend to have a loyal nature, and are known to bite savagely at their prey, which it brings down in a coordinated attack with its fellow pack members. In the wild, the pack always follow an experienced leader, no matter the species. If it recognizes the person handling it as such, it will obey its orders without question."

"So it's kind of like a dog," mused Nami.

"Oh contraire, Miss Cat Burglar," said Moss. "Mightyena is better than any dog that has been trained in the Marine K9 Unit.. He is able to sniff out anything with no distractions."

**Grrrrfff…!** Mightyena growled.

"Mightyena," said Moss. "You know what we came here for. Find it."

Mightyena nodded before he jumped aboard the _Sunny_, startling the crew into backing away. The Bite Pokemon started sniffing around the deck, stopping to sniff the crew, making them nervous, and then going to the one place Luffy (and Blizzard) had been dreading: the kitchen.

"Oh, no," said Luffy. "What if he eats all the meat?"

"I think that's the least of our worries, Luffy," said Nami.

_You don't know the half of it,_ Blizzard thought.

"_Hey! Put me down! Let go!"_

Mightyena came back out of the kitchen…with Zorua dangling in his teeth by his mane!

"Zorua!" Luffy cried.

"_I said put me down!"_ Zorua snapped. _"Who do you think you're dealing with? Let go!"_

"Good boy, Mightyena," said Moss. "Now, bring Zorua to me while we arrest the Straw Hats."

Mightyena nodded before he prepared to head back on board the Marine battleship, but then, **BAM!** Blizzard tackled Mightyena into a wall, forcing him to release Zorua, who was sent flying into the air.

"_WHOOOOOOOAAA~!"_ Zorua cried.

Luffy gasped before he jumped up and caught Zorua.

"Gotcha!" he said.

"_Thanks, Luffy!"_ said Zorua.

Luffy just smiled, widely.

"Luffy!" Nami called. "You and Zorua are headed right for the Marine ship!"

Luffy gasped and looked down to see that Nami was right. He and Zorua were about to land on the battleship.

"Uh-oh," said Luffy.

**THWUD!** Luffy landed on the deck of the battleship with Zorua still in his arms, and he was soon surrounded by the Marines.

"You have nowhere to run, Straw Hat," said Moss. "Now, give yourself and Zorua up."

"What do you want with Zorua anyway?" Luffy questioned.

"That's none of your concern," Moss answered. "Just hand Zorua over."

"Never!" Luffy spat before he put Zorua down. "Quick, Zorua! Run! Get outta here!"

Not really a wise idea, since there really was nowhere for Zorua to run to. Still, the Tricky Fox Pokemon obeyed Luffy and ran off in a random direction. He couldn't get far, for he ran right towards Captain Knuckle, who prepared to grab him right then and there, but then, **POW!** Franky seemed to appear out of nowhere and socked the brutish Marine in the jaw.

"_Franky!"_ Zorua cheered.

"OW!" Franky cried as he struck a pose. "Don't worry about a thing, little buddy! I got your back!"

"And don't forget us!"

Zorua turned and saw the rest of the Straw Hats jumping aboard the ship, preparing for battle. Instinctively, he ran to stay out of the ensuing fight.

"Marines!" Moss ordered. "Attack!"

The Marines soon jumped into battle, but ,of course, the Straw Hats were prepared.

"Armaments Hardening!" Luffy cried as his arms went black. "Gum-Gum…GATLING!"

**BAP! BAP! BAP! BAP!** The Marines soon fell victim to Luffy's powerful punches.

Five more Marines jumped at Luffy from behind, but the captain was one step ahead and jumped out of the way. He turned to them, his leg turning black as it stretched.

"Gum-Gum…WHIP!"

**WHAM!** Luffy struck the Marines to the side.

Zoro turned to face 23 Marines charging at him with their sabers.

"Only 23?" he muttered. "How boring."

He drew _Shuusui_ from its scabbard.

"One-Sword Style…BIRD DANCE!"

**SLASH!** A crescent moon-shaped, air compressed slash flew at the Marines from Zoro's blade and cut every one of them down.

Zoro grunted, resting _Shuusui_ over his shoulder, but then, instinctively, he turned to face several more Marines that were coming at him, and brought all three of his swords out.

"Three-Swords Style…CROSSING THE SIX PATHS!"

**SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!** Zoro swung his swords in an inverted S-shape, slashing the Marines six times so fast that he didn't seem to move at all.

The Marines fell behind him.

"Really?" said Zoro. "This is the best you've got? I've seen DOGS fight better than you clowns! Well, one anyway!"

"Dark Ball THUNDER ROD!"

**KRRRRZZT! BOOOM!** Nami formed a long chain of dark clouds and swung it around like a whip, electrocuting any Marine who was foolish enough to get in her way.

"Certain Death…Green Star…DEVIL!"

**TWANG!** Usopp fired two Pop Greens, and out of both of them came two huge carnivorous Flytraps that trapped the Marines in their jaws.

"Aw, yeah~!" the sniper cheered.

Sanji was surrounded by Marines, but the cook simply took a drag of his cigarette and blew out a few rings of smoke.

"Sky Walk…"

As soon as the Marines attempted to make an attack, Sanji seemed to disappear. Looking up, they saw that he seemed to be standing…in the sky above them.

"Diable Jambe…"

**FWOOSH!** His right leg went aflame, startling the Marines into backing away.

"Poêle à Frire: SPECTRE!"

**POW! POW! POW!** Sanji kicked downward, repeatedly, at the Marines, taking out a great many of them.

He then disappeared, then reappeared in front of another Marine.

"Collier STRIKE!"

**BAM!** Before the Marine could react, Sanji delivered a devastating kick to his neck.

Chopper stood before several Marines. He was nervous, but he wasn't going to run away, this time.

"Kung Fu Point!"

At that cry, Chopper shifted into his Kung Fu Point, and began to attack Marines left and right, using high-pitched battle cries.

The soldiers stood little to no chance to the reindeer's powerful punches and kicks.

"Mil Fleur!" Robin exclaimed. "Gigantesco Mano!"

**SHOOM!** A giant pair of legs appeared before the Marines.

"STOMP!"

**BAM!** The legs stomped down on the Marines in her wake.

Franky, meanwhile, found himself going up against Knuckle in an old-fashioned fistfight.

Well, somewhat old-fashion.

"Strong RIGHT!"

**POW!** Franky fired his right fist at Knuckle, hitting him right in the gut.

It didn't seem to faze him at all.

"What the-?" the cyborg questioned, but then, **BAM!** Knuckle punched him in the jaw.

Franky staggered for a moment, but he remained to catch himself. He wiped the blood off of his jaw and smirked.

"Looks like this isn't gonna be easy," he said. "I like that."

**WHAM! POW! BAP!** The two brutes soon started to throw punches at one other.

Blizzard was on the _Sunny_, facing off with Mightyena, who growled and snarled at him. It appeared that he was stronger than he thought if he could withstand a full-on tackle from the huge wolf-dog.

Mightyena opened his mouth, revealing his fangs, and as he did, a dark, purple ball of energy appeared between his jaws.

_What the hell?_ Blizzard thought.

Before he could react, Mightyena threw the ball at Blizzard.

**BOOM!** It exploded, sending Blizzard flying into a wall.

"Blizzard!" Luffy cried.

Moss chuckled.

"Looks like White Wolf has gotten a taste of Mightyena's Shadow Ball attack!" Moss said.

Blizzard shook off his disorientation before he lunged at Mightyena, biting down on his shoulder. Mightyena countered with a bite to his foreleg.

"Mightyena! Use Thunder Fang!" Moss ordered.

**KRRZZZZZT!** Mightyena's fangs began to crackle with electricity, and then, **ZAP!** He sent that electricity surging through Blizzard, shocking him.

"Blizzard, no!" Luffy cried. He then turned to Moss and growled. "You bastard! Make him stop!"

"Of course," said Moss, "but only if you give yourselves and Zorua up."

"I said 'never'!" Luffy shouted.

"If you insist," Moss said.

Blizzard howled in pain as Mightyena kept giving him an electrocuting bite. However, he soon bit down on the scruff of Mightyena's neck, and then pulled him off. Then, he threw the Bite Pokemon into a wall.

"Yes! Way to go, Blizzard!" Luffy cheered.

Mightyena growled before he got back up to his feet and tackled Blizzard, again.

Meanwhile, Brook was playing a happy, lively tune on his guitar, and it was making the Marines around him.

"Party Music," the skeleton said.

The Marines were smiling, happily, their minds lost to the spell of Brook's hypnotic music.

Big mistake.

"Quinte Tierce FANTASIA!"

Using a swift draw-and-sheathing technique, Brook cut down every last one of his opponents, and it looked like he hadn't been seen, at all!

Zorua, who had been watching from a safe distance, stared in amazement.

"_Wow…!"_ he said. _"They're strong!"_

"Gotcha!"

**GRAB!** Moss picked Zorua up by the scruff of his neck.

"_Hey!"_ the Tricky Fox Pokemon cried. _"Lemme go!"_

"Zorua!" Nami cried.

"At last!" Moss said. "Zorua is all mine!"

"You put him down!" Luffy ordered.

The Straw Hats began to advance and surround Moss, with the exception of Blizzard, who was still down on the _Sunny_, and Franky, who was still fighting with Knuckle. However, Moss reached into his coat and pulled out a _kusarigama_ from within, and put the blade up to Zorua's neck.

"Ah-ah-ah~!" Moss said in a warning tone. "Don't any of you take one more step! Give yourselves up, or else I'll slit open Zorua's throat, and believe me, my friends, neither of us want that, now do we?"

The Straw Hats stood, nervously.

"What do we do?" Chopper asked.

"Well, we can't fight him," replied Usopp. "He could kill Zorua!"

"_Don't worry about me, you guys!"_ Zorua said. _"Hit him!"_

"Dammit," Sanji said. "Looks like we've got no choice."

"It looks like you're right," Nami said.

"Fat chance!" Luffy shouted before **BAM!** He punched Moss in the face before he could react fast enough, causing him to throw Zorua up into the air.

"_WHOOOOOAAAAH!"_ Zorua cried.

Nami caught Zorua in her arms as he fell.

"_Thanks, Nami!"_ Zorua said.

"Luffy, have you lost your mind?" Nami questioned, angrily. "You could've gotten Zorua killed!"

"Relax!" Luffy said. "I got him back, didn't I?"

"Oh, Straw Hat~."

Luffy looked to Moss, who was swinging the _kusari_ of his _kusarigama_ over his head.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you never to look away from your opponents?" asked the Vice-Admiral.

Luffy narrowed his eyes at Moss, then looked to the others.

"Take Zorua back to the ship!" he ordered. "I'll take care of this guy!"

"Got it!" Zoro said.

"Good luck, Luffy!" Nami added.

With that, the Straw Hats, except Franky, who was still caught in his little fistfight with Knuckle, headed back to the ship.

Speaking of Franky, it looked like he was just about to finish up. He gave Knuckle one last sock to the jaw before the Marine Captain finally collapsed.

"Finally," Franky muttered, breathlessly.

Luffy and Moss were locked in a stare down, the latter still swinging the _kusari_ over his head.

Then, Luffy hardened his arms, again, and stretched them behind himself.

"Gum-Gum…BAZOOKA!"

**WROING!** Luffy threw his arms at Moss, who smirked.

"As I thought," he mused.

**WHAP!** He lassoed the _kusari_ around Luffy's outstretched arms.

"Huh?" Luffy gasped.

"You're mine, Straw Hat," Moss said, grinning sinisterly.

Luffy tried to get his hands free, but as he continued to struggle, he suddenly felt like his energy was getting sapped right out of him.

"Ugh…" Luffy groaned. "What…what the hell? What is this?"

"Surprised?" asked Moss. "The chain of my _kusarigama_ is made of sea prism stone. You can't escape."

"Damn…you…" Luffy cursed, his voice slurred.

Moss smirked before he charged at Luffy, armed with the scythe.

However, Luffy may've been weakened, but he was still able to move. Thanks to his Observation Haki, Luffy foresaw that Moss was going to attempt to stab him in the neck once he got close, so he leaned back the moment the Vice-Admiral got within a couple of feet before him.

**SWIPE!** Moss swiped his small scythe, but because Luffy had dodged at the last second, he ended up missing.

**WHAM!** Luffy then kicked Moss into the air, and then he started to turn around and around and around, causing Moss to whirl around in the air.

"AAAAAAAAAHH!" Moss screamed. "What are you doing? Let me down!"

"Sure!" Luffy said. "Whatever you say!"

"Yo, Straw Hat!" Franky said as he picked up Knuckle's unconscious body. "Catch!"

**WHOOSH!** He threw the Marine Captain at Luffy, who caught him with Moss, who was still being spun around.

**GROWWFF!** Blizzard barked from the _Thousand Sunny_.

**WHOOSH!** He threw a motionless Mightyena from the pirate ship.

**BAM!** Luffy caught the Bite Pokemon with the two Marines, and then, **THWAM!** He threw them down onto the deck. In doing so, he managed to loosen the chain around his arms, and as it fell, his strength soon returned.

"Aw, yeah!" Luffy shouted, flexing his arms.

From the ship, Zorua was watching from Nami's arms, and he was still very amazed by Luffy's display of power and skill.

"_Wow!"_ said Zorua. _"Luffy's amazing!"_

"He sure is," Nami agreed.

"Okay," said Luffy. "Let's finish this up!"

**Crack!** He flexed his fingers and his knuckles popped.

Moss stood back up and grabbed his _kusarigama_. Then he began to swing the chain over his head.

"Don't think you've won, yet!" the Vice-Admiral stated. "As soon as I'm finished with you, I'll take Zorua for myself!"

Luffy was prepared for him, this time, though.

"Gear…SECOND!"

Luffy pumped blood through his arms, making them steamy and pink.

"You think you can scare me with some little tricks?" Moss questioned. "Think again!"

**SWISH!** He tossed the chain at Luffy, but he disappeared, and then reappeared to Moss's right.

"What the hell?" Moss questioned before…

"Gum-Gum…JET PISTOL!"

**POW!** With just one hit, Moss was struck in the chest and was knocked out.

Winner: Luffy.

(A/N: Okay, I know I said I'd make the fights longer, but this is the best I could do. Bear with me)

"Man, too easy," said Luffy. "I was hoping he'd be more of a challenge."

"Well, he's down for the count, for now," said Franky.

"Luffy! Franky!" Nami called. "Let's get out of here while we can!"

"Right!" Luffy called back before he and Franky ran to the ship.

The moment they got to the deck, Luffy was soon greeted by Zorua, who was jumping all around him like a kid hyped up on sugar.

"_Wow, Luffy!"_ Zorua said. _"You were amazing! You're so strong! Look at you! There's not a scratch on you!"_

Luffy scratched the back of his head, sheepishly.

"Ah, c'mon, Zorua," he said. "You're embarrassing me, here!"

"Can you help it if you get a few admirers, Luffy?" Nami asked, teasingly.

Usopp looked to the battleship full of unconscious plus Mightyena.

"You don't they're gonna follow us, right?" asked the sniper.

"Well, we're not staying to find out," said Nami. "Franky! Let's get outta here!"

"Way ahead of ya!" Franky called back as he stood at the helm. "Hang on tight, everybody!"

"_Hang on tight?"_ repeated a curious Zorua. _"What's that mean?"_

Luffy picked Zorua up and held him in his arms while holding onto the rail.

"You'll see soon enough," said Luffy.

Zorua just tilted his head, confused.

**CHINK!** Franky pulled the lever while everyone else held onto something. The _Sunny's_ aft cannon began to glow.

"Coup de…BURST!"

**BOOM!** The _Sunny_ was soon sent flying through the air.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"_ Zorua screamed, more out of thrill than fright.

However, as the Straw Hats made their escape, Moss began to come to, and could only watch.

"Damn you, Straw Hats," Moss growled, but then…he smirked. "No matter."

By this time, Knuckle also began to regain consciousness.

"Knuckle," Moss said to his brother. "Tend to the injured."

Knuckle nodded before he walked off while Moss returned to his plotting.

_Soon,_ he thought. _Soon, I will find Lostlorn Island…and then, Zorua, as well as Zoroark will be mine!_

With that, Moss began to let out a malevolent cackle before he clutched at the spot where Luffy punched him in pain.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Review, please!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>"So, Zorua? What's your Mom really like?"<p>

"_Well, she looks a little like me, only bigger. Even bigger than you, Luffy!"_

"Really?"

"_Yeah! She's also really strong! Once, I saw her smash a rock with just one paw!"_

"No way!"

"_Yeah! But she can also be really scary, sometimes."_

Luffy laughed.

"That kinda sounds like my Mom…and Nami!"

"I heard that."

Luffy was sitting on the _Sunny's_ figurehead with Zorua in his arms, staring out into the starry night sky together and making small-talk after dinner. Everyone else was preparing for bed, except for Blizzard, who had watch, tonight.

It has been 5 days since the Straw Hats and Zorua escaped Vice-Admiral Moss, and they were continuing their voyage to bring Zorua home. They stopped by several islands along the way, hoping to find some information on Lostlorn Island, but so far, they haven't even got a clue. Sometimes, they would even get chased off for even mentioning it, having met some people that may've heard of the place but don't like speaking about it.

The Straw Hats and Zorua didn't seem to mind, though. They were really enjoying each other's company.

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper found it very entertaining when Zorua used his Illusion ability to transform into the people and creatures he had seen. Sanji and Brook especially found it "entertaining" when the Tricky Fox Pokemon turned into either Nami or Robin. Nami, on the other hand, did not. She gave the Childish Trio and the two perverts each at least two bumps on their heads while Zorua was let off with a warning, to which the boys would complain "No fair!"

Blizzard, who was at first adamant at Zorua's presence, began to warm up to the Tricky Fox Pokemon and began to see him as the son he never had. Sometimes, when Luffy couldn't provide company, Zorua would go to the wolf-dog for it, instead, and Blizzard would allow it to a certain extent.

Whenever he wasn't up to his playful tricks, Nami and Robin found Zorua to be great company, as well. He always liked to sit in their laps whenever they were lounging. Of course, this earned Sanji and Brook's jealousy.

Speaking of Brook, Zorua also seemed to have an ear for music, for he would often be found sitting around the Straw Hat musician, listening to the tunes of his guitar or his violin and wagging his tail to the rhythm.

The little Pokemon seemed to have a lot of fun when it came to parties. He enjoyed Sanji's cooking and he learned how to dance with chopsticks in his nose (much to Nami's inner disgust and to the enjoyment of the Childish Trio.

In times of danger, such as a sea monster attack or a violent storm, Luffy would make Zorua stay inside and wait until he gave the all-clear.

However, in spite of these things, there was one thing about Zorua that Luffy found slightly disdaining.

"Luffy! Zorua!" Nami called. "Time for bed, you two!"

Luffy and Zorua groaned.

"Come on, Nami!" Luffy whined.

"_Yeah! We're not…"_

Zorua's telepathic sentence was interrupted with a yawn escaping from his mouth.

Luffy also let out a yawn.

Nami smirked.

"Okay, boys," she said. "Bed. Now."

Luffy and Zorua stepped down from the figurehead, heading for the men's quarters, but the former stopped to give the navigator a kiss on the cheek.

"See you in the morning, Nami," he said. "Sweet dreams."

"You, too," Nami said. "Goodnight, Luffy. Goodnight, Zorua."

"_Goodnight, Nami,"_ said Zorua before he followed Luffy into the men's quarters.

XXX

It was 2 in the morning. The _Sunny_ was quiet, except for the sounds of snoring coming from the men's quarters…as well as the sound of a child sobbing.

While the guys were fast asleep, two were very much. Those two are Luffy and Zorua, the latter of whom was sitting by the lockers, letting out small sobs and tiny beads of tears falling from his eyes.

"_Momma…!"_ the little one whimpered.

Luffy sighed. It had been like this ever since he first brought Zorua onto the ship with him. Every night, he would be kept awake by the sounds of the Pokemon's pining for his mother. At first, it didn't seem to bother him very much, but it appeared it was finally getting to the captain, judging by the dark circles under his eyes.

How the others could sleep through this was completely beyond him.

With another exasperated moan, Luffy jumped down from his bunk and walked up to Zorua, who was still crying.

"_M…Momma…!"_

Luffy knelt down and took Zorua into his arms.

"Zorua," he said. "I know you miss your mom…but, please, I'm begging you, you gotta go to sleep, now."

"_I…I can't…!"_ Zorua said. _"I…I can't sleep without my Momma…!"_

Luffy sighed as he held the crying ball of fuzz closer.

At this point, he almost felt like crying, himself.

XXX

The next morning, Nami was sitting in one of the lounge chairs on the deck, sunning herself. She stretched her arms and let out a pleasured sound.

"Such a nice day," she commented. "If we keep heading through this course, we shouldn't have any problems, at all."

Just then, Zorua waddled up to the navigator.

"_Hi, Nami,"_ he greeted her.

"Hi, Zorua!" Nami greeted him back as she picked Zorua up and cuddled him. However, she stopped when she noticed that he didn't look very well. His eyes were half-lidded with sleepiness, and it appeared there were tear stains underneath them.

"Zorua, you look exhausted," Nami said. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I don't know about him, but _I_ certainly am not."

Nami looked to her right and gasped.

There was Luffy, standing there, and he looked worse than Zorua! His face seemed to sag, his hair was messier than usual, his eyes were bloodshot, and they had dark circles underneath.

"Oh, my lord!" Nami cried as she put Zorua down on the deck, got up from the chair, and went up to her boyfriend. "Luffy, you look awful! What happened?"

Luffy looked at Zorua, who looked back at him with this guilty expression, and he sighed.

"Zorua, why don't you go find Blizzard or Chopper and go play or something?" the captain asked the Pokemon. "I need to talk to Nami about something."

"_Okay, Luffy,"_ said Zorua before he trotted off.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked.

"I didn't wanna say it in front of Zorua," Luffy began, "but…he's been keeping me up all night! He misses his mom so much, he's crying about it! It's been like this ever since I brought him here! I'm surprised he didn't wake the others!"

"Really?" Nami asked. "You didn't seem to have a problem with it, before."

"Yeah, but now it's getting to me," said Luffy. "Nami, we need to get Zorua back home to his mom, and soon! It's not that I'm starting not to like him, anymore, it's just that…he's running me ragged."

"Well, Luffy," Nami began, "didn't you go through a similar when your mom and Ace died?"

Luffy eyes went wide, slightly.

It was true that when his mother died, he would cry himself to sleep for several nights. The same thing went when he was on Rusukaina with Rayleigh, when he would pine for Ace.

"Oh, Luffy," said Nami as she embraced him, comfortingly. "Everything will be okay. Maybe you should try and be Zorua's second mother or something for now."

"I can't be his mom," said Luffy. "I have balls."

"That's not what I meant, you moron," Nami said. "Do something that Zorua's mom would do when she tried to get him to sleep. Hold him, rock him, anything."

Luffy scratched his head, confused.

"Just try it, Luffy, okay?" Nami asked. "It's only until we get him home. Who knows? It could work."

Luffy looked over to the other side of deck and saw Zorua, sitting with Chopper, who was also concerned about his current state, seeing as how he was looking him over and looking into his eyes with a light.

"Oh, man, Zorua," said Luffy with a heavy sigh. "What am I gonna do with you?"

XXX

It was nighttime, once again, and the Straw Hats were getting ready for bed.

It was Usopp's turn to take up watch, tonight, while the others went to their rooms.

"Goodnight, guys," Luffy called.

"Goodnight," the others called back.

As the others climbed into their bunks, Zorua lied curled up in Blizzard's bed, snoozing next to the wolf-dog.

Luffy watched them as he climbed into his bunk, and then started to fall asleep. After a few minutes, the usual snoring commenced, and not long after that…so did the crying.

"_M…Momma…!"_

Luffy groaned as he looked over to see a tearful, shivering Zorua before he hopped down from his bunk and went over to him. Then, once again, he picked him up and held him in his arms.

"Oh, Zorua," he said. "I wish there was something I could to help you sleep, at least until we got you back home to your mom."

"_I'm sorry, Luffy,"_ Zorua whimpered. _"But…I just can't help it. I haven't been away from home or my Momma for this long, before, and…I just miss her so much!"_

"I know, Zorua," said Luffy. "I know what you're going through. At least you know that your mom's alive and waiting for you at home. My Mom…I don't really have one to go back home to."

Zorua looked up at Luffy with teary eyes and gasped.

"_You don't have a Momma, anymore, Luffy?"_ he asked.

Luffy shook his head.

"No, I don't," he answered him.

"_W…what happened to her?"_

"She died. She got really sick one day and she died, and that was when I was six years old. We were really close, and sometimes, I dream about her, giving me lots of food to eat and hugs…but when I wake up, I start crying because I realize it was just a dream and that I'd never really see her again."

"_Do you still miss your Momma, Luffy?"_

"Yeah…I do. I miss my brothers, too."

"_You had brothers?"_

Luffy nodded again, but then he smiled.

"But…I'm okay, now," he said, "because I know that I still have people I care about around me…and so do you, Zorua."

Zorua smiled.

"You feel better?" Luffy asked.

"_Yeah,"_ answered Zorua.

"Okay," said Luffy. "Now…is there anything your mom would do for you to help you fall asleep at night?"

"_Well,"_ Zorua began, _"Momma would always let me sleep in her fur."_

"Sleep in her fur?" Luffy repeated, questioningly. "How?"

"_Like this,"_ Zorua said.

**FWIP!** He jumped out of Luffy's arms and the crawled under his shirt, his tiny paws scurrying along the raven-haired young man's back, make him giggle.

"Hey, Zorua!" Luffy said. "That tickles!"

A pause came.

Luffy realized that Zorua didn't respond.

"Zorua?" Luffy called to him. "Zorua, you okay?"

Inside Luffy's shirt, Zorua's eyelids began to droop, and he yawned.

"_Yeah,"_ he said. _"It's not exactly like Momma's fur…but it feels almost as good."_

Luffy felt the Tricky Fox Pokemon nuzzle his cheek against his skin, and it felt somewhat soothing. He let out a yawn of his own before he climbed back up into his bunk and tiredly flopped onto the mattress on his tummy. He looked inside his shirt to see Zorua, sound asleep. He could make out a tiny smile as he continued to snooze, making Luffy smile, himself, before he rested his head on the cool pillow.

"Finally," he muttered before he drifted into a long, well-deserved slumber with his little friend sleeping peacefully on his back.

XXX

Early the next morning, the air was filled with Brook's Wake-Up song…until Nami threw one of her shoes at his skull, silencing the singing skeleton.

"SHUT UP! IT'S TOO EARLY FOR THAT CRAP!"

It was only about an hour later until everybody decided to wake up on their own.

Luffy was the first. He stretched his limbs and let out a refreshed yawn.

"Oh, boy," he said. "I feel SO much better, today! Don't you, Zorua?"

No reply.

"Zorua?" Luffy repeated. "You awake, little buddy?"

Still no answer.

It was then Luffy realized that he didn't feel Zorua curled up under his shirt anymore.

"Where'd he go?" Luffy asked to no one in particular. "Zorua? Zorua!"

"What's wrong, Luffy?"

Luffy turned and saw Usopp sitting up, yawning.

"Usopp, have you seen Zorua?" Luffy asked.

"Zorua?" Usopp repeated. "No. I just woke up."

Luffy then looked over to Zorua's bunk, then stretched his head and arm down in front of the still snoozing swordsman.

"Hey, Zoro- ACK!" Luffy began before Zoro grabbed his captain by the throat and then pulled his face forward to meet his angry glare.

"Leave. Me. ALONE," Zoro growled through gritted teeth.

"I was only looking for Zorua…!" Luffy choked out.

"Well, I haven't seen the little fuzz-ball!" Zoro spat before he released his gagging captain.

Once Luffy caught his breath, he looked over to Blizzard, and then jumped down to approach him.

"Blizzard," Luffy called. "Wake up, buddy!"

Blizzard's eyes opened, and he sleepily looked over to Luffy.

"Hey, have you seen Zorua?" Luffy asked. "He was with me, last night, but now I can't find him."

Blizzard sat up on his haunches, as if to ask, "What do you mean you can't find him?"

"Well, I was just trying to help him feel better and go to sleep," said Luffy.

"I saw young Master Zorua."

Luffy turned and saw Brook enter, nursing the bump forming from his afro.

"You did?" Luffy asked. "Where is he, now?"

"I do believe he's standing near the figurehead, staring out to the open ocean," said Brook. "I tried to converse with the little lad, but he wouldn't respond to any of my words. He seemed rather…distant. It was almost like he was in some sort of trance."

Luffy seemed concerned. He ran outside and headed toward the figurehead, where Zorua was indeed sitting near, staring out to the horizon with eyes fixated.

"Hey, Zorua!" Luffy called as he approached him. "Are you okay?"

Zorua didn't answer him. Not even one sound was made.

As Luffy got close to Zorua, he looked at his face and raised an eyebrow in confusion. He waved his hand in front of Zorua, but his eyes didn't follow.

"Zorua?" Luffy called, again. "Hello~? Yo!"

Zorua still didn't respond.

Luffy seemed surprised, at first, but then he smirked.

"I know what'll get him to crack," he said before he turned away. "Hey, Zorua~!"

Luffy turned around, pulling his eyes lids down, stretching his tongue out, and making a funny sound.

Still no response!

Now Luffy was concerned.

"Uh," Luffy muttered before he turned and ran back to the other side of the deck. "Nami! Chopper! Guys! Come quick! There's something wrong with Zorua! I think he might be sick!"

XXX

A few minute later, Luffy brought everybody to the helm, where Zorua was still sitting.

"He just sits there, and he won't move," Luffy explained.

"That's odd," Nami said.

_I hope the little guy's not sick,_ Blizzard thought.

Chopper climbed up onto the railing and stood next to the supposedly entranced Zorua. He clapped his hooves in his ears, waved one in front of his eyes, and even made a funny face, but still no reaction.

"That is weird," said the young doctor. "What could be wrong with him?"

"I don't know," said Luffy, "but I'm getting worried, and worrying makes me hungry!"

**Rumble! Grumble!** His stomach growled.

"See?" Luffy asked.

Nami carefully approached Zorua from behind, so as not to accidentally startle him into falling into the water below. If he did, Luffy would stupidly attempt to jump in after the Tricky Fox Pokemon, followed by Brook and Chopper, followed by Blizzard, Usopp, and Nami to save them.

"Zorua?" Nami called. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

The navigator didn't get an answer from him, but she did get a reaction. Zorua slowly craned his head to face her, and Nami couldn't help but feel rather disturbed by his creepy, transfixed stare.

As Nami backed away, she realized that Zorua wasn't trying to look at her. He was just looking out to the left, now.

"Okay, that's even weirder," Luffy commented.

"Why did he just turn his head like that?" asked Sanji.

"Wait a minute," Nami said. "I wonder…Franky!"

"Yeah?" Franky answered.

"Steer the ship hard to port!" Nami ordered.

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Not wanting to be snapped at, again, Franky complied and began to steer the ship to the left. As this was done, Zorua's head turned and faced straight ahead, once more.

"Did you see that?" Usopp asked.

"He's staring dead ahead, again!" Luffy added.

"How is he doing that?" Chopper chimed in.

"Instinct," was Nami's answer.

Everyone looked at the navigator as she began to explain.

"Don't you see?" Nami inquired. "Zorua doesn't know it, but he's showing us which way to go, all based on instinct!"

"Like the South Bird," said Robin, "only Zorua isn't facing South."

"Exactly," Nami said. "All we have to do is watch Zorua and then watch his movements. Whatever direction he faces, we have to follow it."

"But for how long?" asked Zoro.

"Not too long, hopefully," Nami replied. "As long as Zorua doesn't end up pointing us into something dangerous, like a whirlpool or something."

And so, the Straw Hats continued to follow Zorua's instinctive directions. For a change of pace, they used the paddles to pick up speed, making sure not to go too fast. After making maybe about 20 turns left and right, Franky shut off the paddles and the _Sunny_ started sailing straight ahead.

It was then that they saw it: an island shrouded in mist.

The crew gasped.

"That must be it!" Nami exclaimed.

"Lostlorn Island," Robin commented.

Luffy's mouth upturned into a wide grin.

"This is it!" he declared. "Zorua's home! We made it! Hey, Zorua, did you hear that? Zorua?"

Zorua was still stuck in a trance.

"Hey, Zorua!" Luffy called. "Wake up, little buddy! We're here!"

**CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!** Luffy clapped his hands in front of Zorua's face, thus snapping the Pokemon out of his trance.

"_Huh?"_ Zorua said before he looked up at Luffy. _"Luffy? What are you doing here? What am I doing here? What's going on?"_

"Look, Zorua!" Luffy said as he pointed forward. "Up ahead! See it?"

Zorua looked to the misty island and gasped.

"_We…we made it…!"_ he said. _"This is it! Home! I'm home!"_

Everyone smiled at Zorua's jumps of joy.

"_I can't believe I'm home!"_ the little fuzz ball said. _"All my friends…Momma…"_

Luffy chuckled as he gently put a hand on the tuft of fur on his head.

"Don't worry, Zorua," he said. "You'll be seeing your mom, again, real soon, just like I promised."

Zorua smiled before he jumped into Luffy's arms and nuzzled his face, affectionately.

"_Thank you, Luffy,"_ said Zorua before he looked to the rest of the Straw Hats. _"Thank you, everybody!"_

"Don't go thanking us, yet, Zorua," said Nami. "We may've found your home, but now, we need to find your mom."

Luffy grinned.

"I know what that means~!" he said in singsong. "Hey, Sanji! Get some lunchboxes ready!"

"Right," said Sanji before he headed to the kitchen, taking a drag of his cigarette as he did.

Zorua turned to look back at Lostlorn Island, smiling hopefully.

"_I'll be there soon, Momma,"_ he said to himself. _"Just wait a little longer."_

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Sorry I haven't updated in a while, people.<p>

Review, please!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>"<em>Come on, you guys! Hurry up, hurry up! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"<em>

"Okay, okay! Calm down, will you, fuzz ball?"

"Heh-heh-heh! Zorua sure is excited!"

Yes, indeed he was. Zorua was running circles around Luffy's feet, ecstatic. The Straw Hats had finally moored their ship in the shore of Lostlorn Island, the Tricky Fox Pokemon's home, and to Zorua, that meant that he could finally see his mother, again.

"Everybody got their backpacks?" Nami asked.

"Yep!" Luffy answered. "And lunchboxes, too!"

"_Let's go!"_ Zorua said as he jumped up and down Luffy's head and then down to the shore. _"Come on! What are you guys waiting for?"_

"Okay, okay, Zorua, we're coming," said Luffy before he jumped down and landed on the shore of the island next to Zorua.

The rest of the Straw Hats soon followed…except for Usopp, of course.

"Okay, everybody, before we go in," Nami began, "we need to go over one thing. The forest here looks really thick, so we have to stick together so we don't get lost."

Everyone glanced at Zoro, who looked to everyone else.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," the others answered.

"Uh…I'm not too sure about this, you guys," said Usopp, standing at the prow. "The whole island's covered in mist! Doesn't that throw you off as a little suspicious?"

"Usopp, whether you like it or not, we have to go," Nami said.

"Yeah, we gotta get Zorua back to his mom," Chopper said. "We promised."

"Maybe I should stay here," Usopp implied. "You know, to guard the _Sunny_, and all."

"Okay, Usopp," Nami said. "You can stay here…on the ship…_alone_."

Usopp gulped at the last word as the others began to enter the thick forest with Zorua leading the pack.

**TMP!** He jumped down and ran to catch up with them.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" the sniper called until he fell into step behind the others.

"So, what are exactly are we looking for?" asked Sanji.

"Zorua says his mom looks just like him, only bigger," said Luffy. "So, all we gotta do is look for a big, girl version of Zorua! Problem solved!"

"Uh, there's only one problem with your theory, Luffy," said Zoro. "We have NO idea where she might be in this forest."

"Well, we do have Zorua," Nami said. "He knows his way around here better than we do. If anything, he might know where to find his mother."

"Hey, Zorua," Luffy said. "Try calling your mom. She'll probably show up when she hears your voice!"

"_Oh, yeah!"_ Zorua said. _"Thanks, Luffy!"_

With that, Zorua stopped in his tracks, and then, _**ARROOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ He let out a long howl.

A long pause came, but nothing answered back to his howl.

"_I guess she didn't hear me,"_ Zorua said, disappointment in his voice.

"She's probably too far away, Zorua," Nami said. "Maybe she'll hear you if we keep going."

"_Are you sure?"_ Zorua asked.

"She's bound to know you're here, sooner or later," Luffy replied. "She's your mom! It's part of her instinct! Once, I got lost, and I had no idea where my Mom was, but somehow, she managed to find me!"

"Maybe because she asked someone, Luffy," Zoro said.

"Anyway," said Luffy, "your mom probably isn't too far away from here! We'll find her, don't worry!"

Zorua smiled before he jumped into Luffy's arms, once again.

"_Thanks, Luffy,"_ he said.

With that, the Straw Hats and Zorua continued onward into the dense forest. As they did, Chopper suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up.

He couldn't shake this odd feeling that someone was watching them.

"Chopper!" Zoro called. "Hurry up! What's keeping you, back there?"

"You're gonna get left behind!" Usopp added.

Chopper gasped before he ran to catch up to him.

"Hey! Hold on! Wait up for me, you guys!" he shouted.

However, as Chopper ran off to catch up with the others, no one realized that they were indeed being watched.

XXX

It felt like hours since the Straw Hats had begun their trek through the mysterious forest. They trusted Zorua to lead the way around his home since he knew it better than they did. Still, some of them couldn't help but feel rather suspicious about the place.

For instance, Chopper continued to feel that someone was watching the crew, and even Luffy was beginning to have the same feeling, although the latter continued to sweep it off as nothing. Also, as Robin had said, the landscape seemed to change at every turn they made, like when this tree that Blizzard had marked (with his claws) had seemed to disappear and then reappear in a different place, but Usopp rebukes it by saying that all trees look the same. However, he, too, saw something mysterious and rather scary: a pair of glowing, demonic, blue eyes that were glaring back at him through the shadows of the foliage. When he tried to tell the others, though, they had disappeared, like whatever was there did not want to be seen.

The crew was surprised that Zorua himself did not notice these odd occurrences.

"Maybe this whole place is cursed," Usopp said as the Straw Hats were walking along the forest trail, led by Zorua. "I mean- Robin DID say that people who come here are never heard from again."

"Oh, Usopp," Nami said. "What are you so scared of? That's nothing but a bunch of gobbledy-gook!"

"Oh, yeah?" Usopp said. "Chopper kept saying that we were being watched, and even Luffy agreed with him!"

"That's probably just their imagination," Nami remarked.

_Although, with Luffy's Haki, it actually wouldn't be surprising,_ she thought.

"And what about the disappearing landmarks we made along the way?" asked Usopp.

"You said that all trees and rocks look alike," replied Nami.

"Well, how do you explain those eyes I saw?" Usopp questioned.

"Once again, it was probably your imagination," Nami answered. "There were no eyes there."

"But I tell you, I saw them!" Usopp said before he gasped and pointed behind Nami. "In fact…there they are!"

Nami turned around, but then gasped herself.

There, glaring at her, were those same glowing blue eyes that Usopp had seen!

"O-oh, my god!" Nami stammered in fright.

"See? Do you believe me, now?" Usopp asked, just as scared as her.

"L-Luffy! Guys!" Nami called to the others.

"What's wrong, Nami?" Sanji asked.

"L-l-look!" Nami cried as she pointed to where eyes were.

"I don't see anything," Luffy said.

"_Me, neither,"_ Zorua added.

"Huh?" Nami muttered before she looked to where she pointed.

The eyes were gone.

"But…but…!" she stuttered.

"Don't tell me Usopp's got you thinking that something's out here, too," Zoro said.

"But…but I swear, I-" Nami began before she heaved a sigh of exasperation. "Forget it."

At this point, Zorua decided to try and call for his mother, again.

_**ARROOOOOOOOOO~!**_ he howled.

A pause came, but then, **Grrrr…!** A growling sound filled the air.

"D…did you guys hear that?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, that's my tummy grumbling," Luffy answered, rubbing his empty stomach. "I'm hungry. Can we stop to eat lunch, now?"

"We have been walking for quite a while, haven't we?" Robin asked.

"Yes," agreed Brook. "Why, I'm so hungry, I'm practically wasting away to bone! Ah, wait. I was nothing but bone to begin with! Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho! Skull Joke!"

Only Luffy and Zorua laughed at the joke while everyone else groaned.

**Grrrrraaaarr…!** Another growl is heard.

"Okay, Luffy, we get it," Zoro said. "You're hungry."

"But…that one didn't come from my tummy," Luffy said.

**Grrraaaaaarr…!** The growling came again.

**Gulp!** Usopp, Chopper, and Brook gulped.

Luffy picked Zorua up by the scruff of his neck, and then stuffed him inside his backpack.

"_Hey!"_ Zorua said. _"Luffy, what are you doing?"_

"Just stay in here, for now!" Luffy told him before he closed the backpack.

Zoro put his hand on his swords, prepared to draw them.

Nami gripped her Sorcery Clima-Tact with shaky hands.

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke.

Robin just stared straight forward, calm as always.

**Grr~!** Blizzard bared his fangs and growled.

**BAP!** Franky punched his palm.

**GRRAAAAAAWWWWRR~!** A loud roar filled the air. **Thomp! Thomp! THOMP!** The roar was followed by loud, heavy footsteps.

"AAAAAAH!" Chopper screamed before he hid behind Blizzard's legs.

"Get ready," Luffy said. "Whatever's coming, it's here!"

Suddenly, something came out of the shadows before the Straw Hats.

It was a bipedal, scrawny, fox-like creature that stood about as tall as 5 feet and 3 inches high, and its fur was mainly grayish-brown with crimson and black accents. It has a pointed snout and ears, the insides of which have a red coloration. It also had red rimming around its eyes and the corners of its mouth. The fox-like creature had a large, voluminous, red mane that had black tips. The mane seemed to resemble a ponytail, seeing as how there was a teal bangle of some sort that separated a large mass of the mane from the lower portion. It also had a black ruff on its upper body, pointed at the shoulders from which its arms extend. Its upper arms appeared thin, whereas its lower arms, while still slim, are bulkier. The arms had spiky-looking extensions of fur on the elbows, and one the ends of those, as well on its feet, where three crimson red claws that looked as sharp as steak knives.

**Grr…GRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWRR~!** The creature growled and then let out a powerful roar at the Straw Hats.

"MONSTER!" Brook cried, hiding behind Franky.

"W-W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?" Usopp questioned.

"It's Zoroark!" Robin answered.

"Zoro-what?" Luffy repeated, bewildered.

"Zoroark," Robin repeated. "The Illusion Fox Pokemon and the evolved form of Zorua. Zoroark can create illusions and change its appearance just like Zorua can, only its illusions are more perfect!"

"_I am Zoroark, guardian of Lostlorn Island,"_ Zoroark proclaimed. It appeared that it had the same telepathic abilities as Zorua, and the voice coming from her head sounded more feminine, so the Straw Hats concluded that she was female.

"_How dare you filthy humans enter my forest,"_ said Zoroark.

"Uh, technically, not all of us are human," stated Chopper.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWRR!** Zoroark roared at the little reindeer, sending him into a state of fright, once again.

"Listen, fuzz-face," Luffy started, "don't start pulling off that 'this-is-my-island-and-you-gotta-leave' crap! We-"

"Luffy, wait!" Nami said as she held her captain back. "Let me handle this. You're not very good with…negotiating and stuff."

"Fine," said Luffy.

Nami turned to Zoroark, trying her best to look confident, but it was rather hard to because of Zoroark's visage.

"Um, listen, Zoroark," Nami said. "The reason we're here is not what you think! You see, we're-"

"_I will not listen to whatever cockamamie excuse you have!"_ Zoroark hissed. _"Humans are forbidden to set foot on this island! You will leave at once!"_

"We're not going anywhere until you hear us out!" Luffy said.

"_Then perish…"_ Zoroark said sinisterly before she got down on all fours, and then lunged at the Straw Hats.

"RUN!" Luffy shouted.

The crew scattered as Zoroark landed.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!** She roared.

At that moment, Zorua stuck his head out of Luffy's backpack.

"_Luffy?"_ he asked. _"What's going on out there? What's happening?"_

"Nothing!" Luffy answered as he shoved Zorua back inside his backpack. "Stay in there until I say you can come out!"

"AAAAAAAH! SOMEBODY SAVE ME!" Chopper cried as Zoroark gave chase after him. "SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!"

Blizzard tackled Zoroark to the side and into a tree.

"_Wretched beast!"_ Zoroark shouted before **BAM!** She kicked Blizzard into another tree, which caused him to crash into another tree, and then another, and then another, and then one more!

"Blizzard!" Luffy cried.

"Damn," Zoro cursed. "She's…strong!"

"Yeah…she is," Luffy commented.

"Look out!" Nami cried. "Here she comes, again!"

Zoroark came charging, again, this time at Luffy.

"Whoa!" Luffy cried before he jumped out of her way as Zoroark slashed her claws at him, barely missing.

"Weapons LEFT!" Franky shouted as he fired bullets out of his left knuckles, but Zoroark dodged every shot the cyborg made.

"_Fool,"_ she said. _"You think you can stop me with mere bullets?"_

"Dammit!" Franky cursed. "She's too fast! GUH!"

**POW!** Zoroark punched Franky in the jaw, sending him flying several feet away.

"I'll save ya, Franky!" Usopp said. "Certain Death…Green Star: RAFFLESIA!"

**TWANG!** Usopp fired a Pop Green near Zoroark's left. A large Rafflesia flower appeared beside the Illusion Fox Pokemon, and it began to release a foul odor.

"_GAH!"_ Zoroark cried as she covered her nose with her claws. _"That stench!"_

Everyone else covered their noses at the smell. Chopper even passed out because he couldn't take the stink.

"It smells like Blizzard's farts!" Luffy said.

It was a good thing that thing Zorua was inside his backpack. He probably wouldn't have been able to stand the smell, either.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!** Zoroark roared.

"_You'll pay for this!"_ she snapped.

"Now, you've done it, Usopp!" Sanji shouted. "All you did was make this fuzz-bag angrier!"

**SLASH! SLASH!** Zoroark slashed her claws at Usopp, who ran away as fast as he could.

"DAH!" Usopp yelped. "Okay! Now someone has to save ME!"

"Hang on, Usopp!" Nami called.

**THWAK!** She smacked Zoroark on the head with her Sorcery Clima-Tact..

Zoroark turned to her and growled, viciously.

"Uh-oh," Nami said before she attempted to hide her staff behind her back and chuckled sheepishly. "Uh…sorry?"

**GRRAAAAAAAWWWRRK!** Zoroark roared.

"AAAAAAAAAH~!" Nami screamed.

"Gum-Gum JET PISTOL!"

**POW!** Zoroark was suddenly struck by a fast, powerful punch, right in the face. Luffy then came to Nami's side.

"You okay, Nami?" he asked.

"Yeah," Nami said. "That was close, though. She almost got me!"

"Here," said Luffy as he handed the navigator his backpack. "Watch this for me! I'm gonna try and get her away from here so you guys can escape!"

"What?" Nami questioned. "L-Luffy, hold on!"

"Hey, fuzz-face!" Luffy called to Zoroark, who was just now getting back up from his attack.

Zoroark turned to face Luffy, who was making funny faces at her by stretching his cheeks and tongue.

"Nah-nah~!" Luffy said. "Come and get me, you walking throw rug!" He turned to Zoroark and slapped his hand on his buttocks. "Kiss my rubber ass!"

"_You'll regret that, you wretched human!"_ Zoroark growled, telepathically before she charged him, again, but Luffy turned tail and ran as fast as he could, forcing her to give chase.

"Luffy, come back!" Nami called. "Luffy!"

"You think he'll be okay?" asked Zoro.

"I hope so," Nami said.

"Did you see what she did to Blizzard?" Usopp questioned. "She kicked him through five trees! FIVE!"

Speaking of whom, Blizzard emerged from the wrecked trees that Zoroark had kicked him through, a little sore, but nonetheless okay.

Just then, Zorua emerged from Luffy's backpack.

"Zorua!" Nami said.

"_What's going on?"_ Zorua asked. _"What happened? Where did Luffy go?"_

"He's being chased by a monster!" Chopper said.

"_A monster?"_ Zorua repeated.

"Yeah! She called herself Zoroark," Sanji replied.

"Here! I managed to draw a rough sketch of her!" Usopp said as he held up his sketch pad, revealing a sketch of Zoroark that he made.

Zorua gasped.

"I know!" Usopp said. "Scary, isn't she?"

"_No, you don't understand!"_ Zorua said. _"That's not a monster!"_

"It's not?" asked Brook. "Then, pray tell, young Master Zorua, what is it?"

"_That's my Momma!"_ Zorua answered.

The Straw Hats gasped, except for Robin.

"I suspected as much," said the historian.

"Wait," Nami said. "Robin…you knew all along that Zoroark is Zorua's mom?"

Robin answered with a nod.

"If you knew, why didn't you say something sooner?" Zoro asked. "It would've saved us a lot of trouble!"

"I thought you figured when I said that Zoroark is the evolved form of Zorua," said Robin. "Technically, it means that that's what Zorua will turn into when he reaches adulthood."

"Oh, no," Nami said. "We gotta go after Zoroark! If we don't, she could kill Luffy!"

"_Follow me!"_ Zorua said as he jumped out of Luffy's backpack and then ran off in the same direction that Luffy and Zoroark ran off to with the rest of the Straw Hats not too far behind him.

"_Please,"_ Zorua said. _"Please, Momma…don't hurt Luffy!"_

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Sorry if it seems short. Next chapter might be longer.<p>

Review, please!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Luffy ran as fast as he could through the dense foliage. Tailing right behind him is Zoroark, who had dropped down on all fours and broke into a fast gallop. It looked like she was even swifter on all fours than on two.<p>

"You've gotta be kidding me," Luffy muttered as he kept running. "Isn't she tired from all this running, yet? WHOA!"

Luffy nearly tripped on a rock, but he kept going with Zoroark not too far behind. Once he finally broke through the trees, he was soon met with a shock: a cliff. He almost fell if he hadn't stopped himself in time. It looked like a steep 20 ft. drop.

"Phew!" Luffy said. "That was a close one!"

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!**

"Oh, right," said Luffy. "I forgot about her- UGH!"

**BAM!** Zoroark tackled Luffy off his feet as he turned to face her, thus causing the both of them to tumble down the steep cliff until **THOOM!** They ended up landing on the ground below.

Zoroark jumped out of the cloud of dust and then turned to it. She let out what sounded like a grunt in disappointment.

"_Pathetic,"_ she said to herself. _"I was hoping this human would pose more of a challenge, but of course, I was wrong. It's so boring that they die so quickly."_

"I'm not dead!"

Zoroark's eye widened in surprise. Luffy stood up from the ground and dusted his pants off, the resulting fall not really meaning much to him due to his rubbery body.

"Ah, man," he said. "That startled me."

"_I see,"_ Zoroark said, a toothy grin appearing on her lips. _"You are no mere human, are you, boy?"_

"No, I'm not," said Luffy. "I ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit, so that makes me a rubber-man. See?"

**WROING!** He hooked his right finger into his cheek and stretched it.

"_Well,"_ said Zoroark, _"this should be interesting. Perhaps I will give you a sporting chance, after all."_

Luffy smirked before he popped his knuckles and goes into a fighting stance.

"Bring it," he said.

**GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRK!** Zoroark stood up on twos and roared at Luffy before she got back down on all fours and charged at him, once again.

Luffy stood his ground and glared at Zoroark. However, as he did, he noticed that Zoroark wasn't ceasing in her charge.

"What the…?" Luffy muttered, bewildered. "Why isn't she fainting?"

**GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR!** Zoroark roared as she lunged at Luffy with claws outstretched and glowing a bright red.

It was then that Luffy gasped once realization set in.

"My Haki won't work on her!" he cried.

**SMASH!** Zoroark slammed her claw on the ground, but Luffy evaded her attack at the last second. The ground cracked from the Illusion Fox Pokemon's strength.

"Damn!" Luffy cursed. "Well, if my Conqueror's Haki won't work, there's always Armaments and Observation Haki!"

Zoroark turned to Luffy, whose arms went black and hardened.

"Armaments Enhancement!" he declared.

"_What's this?"_ Zoroark questioned. _"Some sort of trick?"_

"No tricks, fuzz-face," Luffy said. "Gum-Gum GATLING!"

**BAP! BAP! BAP! BAP! BAP!** Luffy unleashed a flurry of rapid-fire punches at Zoroark, who soon fell victim to his attack, but then, as he let up, he saw that she had disappeared.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "Where'd she go?"

"_Up here."_

Luffy looked up and gasped. There was Zoroark, up in the air above him!

"How in the hell did you-?" Luffy was about to ask before Zoroark cut him off.

"_I am full of surprises,"_ said Zoroark. _"For instance…I can do this!"_

Zoroark crossed her arms over her chest, and then, an ominous orb of black and dark blue circles appeared before them. Then, as Zoroark separated her arms, the orb fired some sort of beam at Luffy!

Luffy jumped away in the nick of time.

**BOOM!** The beam struck the ground while Luffy landed on a nearby boulder.

"She can shoot beams, too?" he questioned. "But…that wasn't a regular beam! That was like…some kind of EVIL beam!"

**TMP!** Zoroark landed on the ground on her feet.

"_Had enough, Straw Hat?"_ she questioned with a smirk.

Luffy growled.

"Gum-Gum…SNAKE SHOT!"

**WROING!** Luffy stretched his arm, which swerved like a slithering snake, out at Zoroark, but once again, she proved to be too fast for him, for she maneuvered herself away from his arm by somersaulting backwards, too far out of Luffy's reach.

"Damn!" Luffy cursed. "Hold still, will ya?"

"_Typical human,"_ said Zoroark. _"You always seem to lose focus when you get frustrated. What a pity."_

Zoroark suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared behind the Straw Hat captain. However, Luffy managed to predict this and jumped away as Zoroark slammed her claw into the boulder, shattering it into pebbles.

Luffy smirked as he was suspended in midair.

"Lose my focus, huh?" he mused. "Now, Gum-Gum…BAZOOKA!"

**WHAM!** Luffy threw both hands down at Zoroark, who dodged the attack, once again.

"And Gum-Gum…WHIP!"

**POW!** Luffy outstretched his leg and managed to kick Zoroark down to the ground, just as he landed on his feet.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRR!** Zoroark roared as she charged at Luffy, once again, but this time, he met her, head on, trying to hold her back as best as he could. Then, he stretched his right arm back and started to twist it around.

"Gum-Gum…RIFLE!

**BAM!** Luffy sent a spinning punch into Zoroark's stomach, sending her flying into a tree. However, it was only until after he made the attack that he saw that the Illusion Fox Pokemon had this one trick up her sleeve: she had grabbed his other arm while he was holding her back, and when he sent her flying, she had stretched it!

"Uh-oh…!" Luffy muttered.

Zoroark grinned as she stood up and then swiftly tugged at Luffy's arm, thus pulling him towards her.

"H-hey!" Luffy cried. "That's not fair!"

**POW!** Zoroark punched Luffy in the face with her claw, sending him down to the ground.

"Ow…!" Luffy said as he held his cheek. He pulled his palm away, revealing smeared blood on it.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRR!** Zoroark roared again as she swiped her claws at Luffy, who jumped away as she kept attacking.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cried Luffy.

**SKISH!** As Luffy jumped away, Zoroark only managed to slice off only a few strands of hair that was in his face. He landed on his hands and put his feet together.

"Gum-Gum…SPEAR!"

**WROING!** Luffy stretched his legs, trying to jab Zoroark with his feet, but Zoroark jumped up into a nearby tree, thus causing him to miss, but he wouldn't give up, yet.

"Gum-Gum…STAMP!"

**BAM!** Luffy stretched his left leg out and stamped his foot into the tree that Zoroark was standing in, causing it to topple over, but Zoroark jumped out at the last second. **THWAM!** She pounced on Luffy as his leg retracted, and **CHOMP!** She bit down hard on his right arm, piercing through the sleeve of his cardigan and penetrating the skin.

"AAARRGH!" Luffy cried before he kicked Zoroark off of him, yanking his bleeding arm out of her mouth as he did.

Zoroark landed on her feet, and while Luffy was distracted, her claws began to glow red.

**RRAAAAAAAAAAAAWRRK!** Zoroark roared as she charged at Luffy, once again.

Before Luffy could react fast enough, **SLASH!** Zoroark swiped her claws at his stomach, leaving two huge gashes.

Luffy stumbled back for a moment, a hand clutching his fresh wounds. He pulled it away from his bleeding abdomen, revealing a large amount of blood seeping from the gashes.

"_That's quite an injury,"_ Zoroark mused, mockingly. _"Be careful that you don't do anything to make it worse."_

Luffy seethed.

"Damn you…!" he hissed at Zoroark. "Gum-Gum…PISTOL!"

**BAP!** Luffy managed to punch Zoroark in the face before he turned tail and made a run for it. Of course, Luffy would never even dare to run away from an opponent, but he was injured enough as it is. The least he could do was try and rest somewhere before he could start again.

"_Trying to escape, eh?"_ Zoroark inquired.

She looked down at the ground and smirked at the small specks of red that had been left in a trail before she soon ran after Luffy.

"_This will be too easy,"_ she said.

XXX

Not too far away, the Straw Hats were trying to catch up to Luffy and Zoroark with Zorua leading the way.

"_This way!"_ Zorua called. _"Momma and Luffy have been through here!"_

"You said that, like, 15 minutes ago!" Zoro complained.

"Oh, just shut up and follow him!" Nami ordered.

As the group broke through the forest, they soon saw the cliff that Luffy and Zoroark had tumbled down.

"Oh, dear," Brook said. "You don't suppose they…?"

"So what if Luffy fell off?" asked Usopp. "He can survive any fall! That is as long as there's nothing sharp at the bottom."

"But what about Zoroark?" Nami said.

"_Momma's strong!"_ said Zorua. _"She can handle anything! Now let's go!"_

Zorua and the Straw Hats carefully slid down the steep cliff until they landed down below. Of course, Usopp landed unceremoniously on his face.

"Ouch," he muttered.

**Sniff! Sniff!** Zorua sniffed the ground, as did Chopper and Blizzard.

"_Momma's been here,"_ Zorua said. _"So has Luffy!"_

"Judging by the damage that's been done around here," Sanji began, taking a look at their surroundings, "Zoroark and Luffy must've had one hell of a scuffle."

Usopp managed to pry his nose out of the ground, and then gently bent it back into place.

"Guys!" Chopper called. "Look what Blizzard and I found!"

The others ran over and saw the small specks of blood left behind by Luffy's injuries.

"Oh, no," Nami said. "Is that…blood?"

"By the looks of it, yes," said Robin. "But whose?"

"This is definitely human blood," Chopper replied. "So that can only mean one thing…"

"Luffy's injured," Nami concluded. "Zoroark must've hit him with her claws."

"Guys, this is bad," Chopper said. "Luffy's in big trouble!"

"He's right!" Usopp said. "Look at the trail of blood that he left behind! If Zoroark doesn't kill him, then the loss of blood will!"

"Then let's hurry!" Nami said before she picked up Zorua and ran off, following the bloody trail on the ground with the others not too far behind.

_Please, Luffy,_ the navigator, worryingly. _Please, don't do anything too stupid!_

XXX

Meanwhile, Luffy was still running away as fast as he could, an arm still wrapped protectively around his wounded stomach. He could feel the warm, thick blood seeping from the gashes left by Zoroark's claws. He panted as he kept running, but he didn't hear the sound of Zoroark's galloping behind him, so he must've lost her.

Perfect.

After he ran through a creek, Luffy stopped running and sat down against a tree, panting heavily and still holding his wound.

"Dammit," he said. "Look at me, running away like a mouse, all because I got hit in the gut! What kind of a man am I?"

He looked down at his stomach, which was still bleeding, but not as much as it was before.

"I just…need to rest, that's all," he thought aloud. "Once I get my strength up, I'll kick that fuzz-bag's ass, quick as a snap."

Suddenly, Luffy froze as a chill went down his spine.

"Oh, crap," he whispered. "She's here. How the hell did she find me?"

He looked down at his wound, again. It was then that it became obvious to him that Zoroark had followed his trail of blood.

"Damn," Luffy cursed.

"_Come out, come out, wherever you are, Straw Hat,"_ Zoroark said. _"I know you're around here, somewhere. You can't hide from me, forever."_

Luffy silently swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to breath as quiet as possible.

"_What's wrong, boy?"_ Zoroark questioned. _"You're not afraid to face me, are you? Are you scared that I am going to do more than just give you a flesh wound? Come out and fight me!"_

Luffy sat in his spot, trying not to make a sound, but knowing that Zoroark was getting closer, it wasn't easy.

He didn't want to believe but…Luffy might've been scared of Zoroark.

Just then, out of the corner of the eye, Luffy spotted the tip of Zoroark's snout rounding the corner, and he scooted away, trying to get as far away from the Pokemon as possible.

**Snort! Snort! Snort! Grr~!** Luffy saw Zoroark's nose twitch, and then, her lips curled up in a snarl as she growled viciously, saliva dripping from her maw.

**SWAK!** She attempted to hit Luffy in the face with her claw, but he ducked and ran at the last second, causing her to hit the tree instead. **GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRR!** Zoroark roared and gave chase, once more.

"_Turn around and face me, you coward!"_ she yelled.

Luffy tried to keep running as fast as he could. He even through an upcoming creek, hoping the blood from his wound would be washed away, but it didn't matter, for Zoroark wasn't too far behind to not see him.

He stumbled into another clearing and fell to his knees. His vision was starting to go blurry, and he felt his body begin to get heavy.

"Dammit," Luffy cursed. "This sucks! I can't pass out! Not now!"

**RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRK!**

Zoroark suddenly appeared as Luffy turned to face her. She crossed her arms over her chest, again, creating that same black and dark blue orb from earlier, and as she separated her arms, the same beam was fired at him.

"Whoa!" Luffy cried as he dodged the attack. "Gum-Gum…PISTOL!"

**WROING!** He stretched his arm and punched the Illusion Fox Pokemon in the jaw. As it retracted, however, he grunted in pain and clutched his wound, again.

"Crap!" he cursed.

**THOMP!** Zoroark landed on the ground, once more, and then charged at Luffy with claws open and glowing red.

Luffy jumped back as Zoroark swiped her claws at him, once again, but as he did, he heard a small ripping sound.

He gasped before he landed on the ground. He took his hat off of his head, and his eyes went wide.

There was a tear in the rim of his hat.

"_What's wrong, Straw Hat?"_ Zoroark asked, teasingly. _"Did I scratch your when I was not supposed to?"_

A pause, but then, Luffy began to shake, not out of fear or lack of blood…but really out of pure anger. Then, he looked up at Zoroark, revealing raging flames burning in his eyes.

"You…just…nicked…MY…LUCKY…HAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

**FWOOSH!** A comical fire of anger exploded behind Luffy.

XXX

Nami suddenly felt a chill go down here spine, making her shiver.

"_What's the matter, Nami?"_ Zorua asked.

"Guys…did you feel that?" asked Nami.

"We sure did," Usopp answered.

"Now it's Zoroark who's in danger," Robin chimed in.

"In that case, we better hurry," Franky added.

With that, the Straw Hats ran off

XXX

"Gear…SECOND!"

Luffy, no longer caring for his injuries, pumped blood through his arms, causing his skin to go pink and steaming.

"_What's this, now?"_ Zoroark asked. _"Another trick?"_

"No," said Luffy.

Suddenly, Luffy disappeared from Zoroark's sight.

"_What?"_ Zoroark questioned. _"Where did he go?"_

"Gum-Gum…JET BAZOOKA!"

**BAM!** A fast, double-palmed blow hit Zoroark in the back, taking her by surprise.

"And…JET PISTOL!"

**POW!** Another unseen punch struck Zoroark, this time in the jaw.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRR!** Zoroark roared.

"_SHOW YOURSELF, STRAW HAT!"_ she shouted.

Just then, Luffy reappeared several feet behind Zoroark, and just as she turned to face him, **WRRROING!** He stretched both arms out and wrapped them around each other before he grabbed Zoroark by the face.

"_What?"_ Zoroark cried. _"W-what trickery is this? Release me, at once!"_

"And now…" Luffy began before he lifted Zoroark up into the air.

"_Release me!"_ Zoroark shouted before Luffy began to unwind his arms, causing her to spin around.

"Gum-GUUUUUUUM…JET HAMMER!"

**THWAM!** Luffy piledrove Zoroark headfirst into the ground!

There was a long pause as Zoroark's body twitched, but then, she ceased, and Luffy backed away as his body returned to normal.

He heaved a sigh.

"Finally," he said. "It may've been a short one, but still…you put up one hell of a fight."

With that being said, Luffy turned away from Zoroark to go and pick up his hat, which had fallen out of his grasp when he attacked her. He did stumble a bit due to the loss of blood, but it looked like he could manage for a bit longer. **Tsk!** He sucked his teeth as he saw the cut that had been left on the rim.

"Well, it's good thing Nami remembered to bring her sewing kit," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Luffy heard the sound of the ground cracking. Looking back, he saw Zoroark, attempting to pry her head from the ground. Once she did, she let out a fierce roar before she turned to Luffy with eyes closed.

"Aw, man!" he said. "Don't you know when to give up?"

He heaved a sigh.

"Well…I do admit, I kinda like having strong opponents like you," said Luffy. "But can't you at least gimme a timeout or something? I kinda need to rest for a minute!"

Zoroark didn't seem to hear him. She just stood there, her eyes still closed.

At that moment, Luffy seemed to noticed that something seemed off.

He began to feel this…strange power that seemed to be emanating off of Zoroark, and whatever this power was…it looked like it was going to come at him at full force.

All of a sudden, Zoroark quickly opened her eyes, revealing them to be glowing blue, and her body became surrounded by a crimson aura. She then raised her arms above her head, causing the aura around her forearms to get thicker.

"Uhh…wait…!" Luffy muttered. "What are you-"

**THOOM!** Zoroark slammed her claws into the ground, creating a huge blast of pink and crimson energy that grew larger and spread throughout the clearing.

"AAAAAAAAAGGH!' Luffy cried as he was blown off of his feet.

XXX

Not too far away, the Straw Hats saw what looked like smoke rising into the sky after hearing what sounded like an explosion.

"Do you see that?" Usopp asked.

"What just happened?" Nami questioned.

"_That was Momma."_

Nami looked down at Zorua.

"_When Momma gets really angry,"_ he began, _"her eyes start to glow, and then she uses this attack where she hits the ground with her paws and everything around her gets destroyed."_

"Night Daze," said Robin, out of nowhere.

"Night Daze?" Chopper repeated.

"Care to explain, Robin?" asked Zoro.

"Night Daze is the signature attack of Zorua and Zoroark," Robin explained. "It's a very devastating attack that, when used, will not only destroy the users surroundings, but also blows its victims away."

"What?" Nami cried. "Are you saying Zoroark could've killed Luffy with that attack of hers? What the hell are we just standing here for? Let's go, already! Luffy maybe made of rubber, but still, even HE has his limits!"

_Nami's such a dream, even when she's worried about Luffy!_ thought Sanji.

XXX

"Ah, jeez…what happened?"

Luffy was lying down on the ground, stunned and confused from Zoroark's sudden attack. As he attempted to get back up, **THWAM!** A gray blur rushed at him and then pinned him to a boulder, causing his hat to fly off of his head. It was Zoroark, growling viciously in his face with her left claws wrapped his around his neck.

Luffy gagged as he struggled to free himself from the Pokemon's grasp, but she was too strong.

"_What a shame,"_ Zoroark mused. _"It's been quite some time since I've met a worthy adversary, such as yourself. I am almost sad to take your life, Straw Hat. Almost."_

Luffy looked at Zoroark with just one eye open, still struggling to get free from Zoroark's claws.

"_And now, you shall meet the same fate as those humans who refused my warning!"_ Zoroark proclaimed as she raised her free claws. _"Die, Straw Hat!"_

Just when it looked as if Luffy was going to meet his end at Zoroark's claws…

"_STOP!"_

Zoroark seemed to gasp, and she turned and saw the rest of the Straw Hats appear. However, what caught her eye most was Zorua, who was still being carried in the navigator's arms…until she gently set him down on the ground.

"_Z…Zorua…?"_ Zoroark muttered, unwittingly releasing Luffy in her shock. _"Is it really you? My son?"_

"_Yes, Momma,"_ Zorua said as his eyes began to well up with tears. _"I'm home…!"_

"_ZORUA!"_ Zoroark cried as she got down on all fours and ran to her beloved child with tears of her own falling from her eyes.

"_MOMMA!"_ Zorua cried as he, too, ran to his mother and jumped into her arms, nuzzling her face, lovingly, as his own tears fell.

The Straw Hats smiled at the scene that had been played before them. Some of them, mostly Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Brook…even Luffy have been watching with tears of their own beginning to form.

At last, mother and child had been reunited.

"_Momma,"_ Zorua whimpered as he cried on Zoroark's muzzle. _"I missed you, so much!"_

"_My baby,"_ Zoroark said as she gently licked Zorua's face. _"I thought I lost you, forever, when the storm carried you away. What happened?"_

"_It was Luffy and his friends, Momma,"_ Zorua said. _"They brought me back!"_

"That's what we tried to tell you," Luffy said as he approached Zoroark from behind. "We came to bring Zorua back to you."

"_I see,"_ said Zoroark. _"Then forgive me for my misunderstanding. Had I known-"_

"Forget about it," Nami said. "We're passed that now. All that matters is that you've got your son back, safe and sound."

"_Yes,"_ Zoroark said. _"For that, I thank you."_

Suddenly, Luffy fell to his knees, holding his stomach wounds, once more.

"Luffy!" the Straw Hats cried as they ran to his aid.

"Are you okay?" asked Nami.

"I'm just fine," said a grinning Luffy. "This is nothing. Just a scratch."

"'Just a scratch', my eye!" Nami retorted. "You have two huge gashes on your stomach, Luffy! Plus, do you have ANY idea how much blood you've lost?"

"Here," said Luffy as he planted his hat on Nami's head. "It needs to be fixed, again. Zoroark nicked it."

"I had a feeling," said Nami. "Chopper, could you-"

"Way ahead of you, Nami," said Chopper as he began to wrap up Luffy's wounds, and then proceeded to pierce his wrist with a needle. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag of blood; blood-type F, to be precise.

"Good thing Jimbei volunteered donate some more blood back on Fishman Island, just in case," said Chopper.

"Well, now that we got Zorua back with his mom," said Usopp, "how about we go and head back to the ship?"

"I agree with Mister Usopp," said Brook.

"We can't," said Chopper. "Luffy can't go anywhere. He needs to recover from his injuries, not to mention almost dying from blood loss, again."

"Well, what do we do?" Zoro asked. "We can't just sit out here in the middle of the forest!"

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas, mister," Nami remarked.

Zorua looked at Luffy, who seemed to be a bit drowsy from his blood loss, and then at Zoroark before he tapped his paw on the latter's neck, getting her attention.

"_Momma?"_ Zorua asked. _"Can Luffy and the others stay here? At least until Luffy feels better? Please?"_

Zoroark looked at Zorua like he was speaking another language, but then, she looked at Luffy, then at Zorua, and then heaved a sigh.

"_All right, Zorua,"_ she said. _"After all, they are your new friends, and they did bring you back here, safely."_

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked.

"_You are welcome to stay here with us,"_ Zoroark replied. _"You have returned my son to me, safely, and as such, you deserve a reward."_

"Oh, no, no!" Nami said. "Please, we don't wanna impose!"

"_I insist that you stay,"_ Zoroark said. _"It's not everyday that Zorua makes new friends, especially with the likes of you. After all, your friend is injured because of me. The least you can do is let me make up for it."_

"Yeah, Nami," said Luffy. "Let's stay. I wanna see more of Zorua's home."

Luffy and Zorua smiled at each other.

"_You're really gonna like our home, Luffy!"_ said Zorua.

"I bet I will," said Luffy with a chuckle.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Once again, I'm sorry for taking so long with updates.<p>

Review, please!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>"<em>C'mon! This way! Not much farther, now!"<em>

"Ugh…you said that, like, hours ago!"

"_Patience, green-haired one. My son speaks the truth. We won't have much further to go, now."_

"If you say so."

"Luffy? How are you holding up?"

"It still hurts, a little, but at least I don't feel so dizzy anymore."

Zorua and Zoroark led the Straw Hats through the forest, saying something about a secret place where they could stay and rest until Luffy's wounds that the Illusion Fox Pokemon had inflicted upon him have healed. Chopper said that because the gashes are so deep, Luffy may have to stay for at least two days.

Speaking of Luffy, he is lying on Blizzard's back, belly-up, while Blizzard carried his backpack in his teeth.

"So…what makes this place so secret?" asked Luffy.

"_You'll see when we get there, Luffy,"_ Zorua said. _"You're gonna like it! I promise!"_

Luffy gave a small smile.

"_You'll get to meet all my friends, too!"_ Zorua said. _"I can tell that they're gonna like you!"_

"We hope so," said Nami.

Robin chuckled.

"Yes," she agreed. "We'd have to leave a good impression, won't we?"

"_We've arrived,"_ Zoroark stated as she stopped in front of a huge beech tree.

"It's just a big old beech tree," Usopp said.

"_Momma says that the eye can be fooled by what…oh, wait…or is that…?"_ Zorua started, but then he started trailing off, trying to remember his mother's advice. _"Momma, what's that thing you said, again?"_

"_The mind can be fooled by what the eye sees,"_ Zoroark stated, smiling at her son's innocence.

"_Right!"_ Zorua said, wagging his tail and sticking his nose up with a little pride. _"I was gonna say that!"_

"So, now what?" Nami asked.

Zoroark's eyes started to glow blue, and then, the center of the tree's trunk…it disappeared, revealing what looked like a tunnel on the other side!

The Straw Hats gasped in shock.

"Whoa~!" Luffy said. "So cool! Guys, did you see that?"

"Yeah," Nami answered.

"But we don't believe it," Zoro added.

"_One must take precautions to protect one's lair,"_ Zoroark stated before she looked down at Zorua. _"Especially when one has a child, as well."_

She turned to the Straw Hats and pointed her claws at the tree.

"_This tree that you see before you is an illusion that I have created to protect mine and Zorua's home,"_ she said. _"Zorua, since they are your friends, you may lead them inside."_

"_Okay, Momma,"_ Zorua replied. _"Come on, you guys! Follow me!"_

The Straw Hats followed Zorua into the tunnel with Zoroark being the last to go in. The moment she entered, her eyes glowed blue again, and the bark of the tree reappeared behind her.

"What did you do that for?" Nami asked.

"_To make sure that we are not followed,"_ Zoroark answered. _"One mustn't be too careful."_

"I see," Nami said.

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy called. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Nami called back as she ran to catch up with the others.

As the Straw Hats ventured further into the tunnel, they saw a light up ahead. At first, it seemed dim, but as they grew closer, the light grew brighter, so much so, they had to shield their eyes until they finally reached the end.

What they see takes their breath away.

At then end of the tunnel, there lies a wide open grassy field with a beautiful crystal-clear pool of water and trees that bore such big, delicious-looking fruit that were practically ripe for the picking, all surrounded by a huge stone wall!

"Oh…my…god…!" Nami whispered.

"Where are we?" Usopp said.

"_The Pokemon Paradise."_

The Straw Hats turned to see Zoroark walk passed them from behind.

"_This place is home to many different creatures,"_ Zoroark said. _"Especially to Zorua and I. This whole oasis is a paradise for Pokemon of different kinds to live in in peace and harmony without worrying about humans ever desecrating this land. Why?"_ She turned to the Straw Hats with a serious look. _"Because I am its guardian. My Mother before me protected this place, just as her Mother before her."_ She looked down at Zorua, who gave her an innocent smile.

"_When my time comes, my son will become the guardian of Lostlorn Island,"_ said Zoroark.

"I see," Nami said. "So, aside from Zorua, this place is another reason why you're the guardian, isn't it?"

Zoroark nodded.

"I suspected as much," Robin said.

Everyone turned to look at Robin.

"What do you mean, Robin?" Usopp asked.

"Now it all makes sense," said Robin. "Remember when I said that Zoroark can create illusionary landscapes?"

Everyone nods.

"Then that means that the forest we saw outside isn't real," Robin concluded. "It was all an illusion created by Zoroark to keep this place safe."

"So…it's a mystery forest?" Luffy questioned.

"Yes, Luffy," Nami said, somewhat irritated. "It's a mystery forest."

Zorua looked up at his mother and gently pawed at her knee, getting her attention.

"_Momma?"_ he asked. _"Can Luffy and his friends meet my friends, now?"_

Zoroark smiled and nodded her head.

A wider smile appears on the younger Pokemon's face, and he turns to face the wide open field.

_**AWWOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ He let out a long howl.

"_Hey, everybody! I'm back!"_ he shouted.

A slight pause occurs, but then, the field came alive with all sorts of these strange cries. Then, many different creatures came out of the grass, trees, and lake, all making these different sounds.

"Pansear! Pansear!"

"Pansage!"

"Panpour!"

"Emolga!"

"Purrloin~!"

"Vulpix!"

"Eevee!"

"Osha! Oshawott!"

"Snivy?"

"Tepig! Tepig!"

"Pikachu!"

Soon, all these little creatures came and surrounded Zorua, making all these cheerful cries.

"_Hi, everybody!"_ the Tricky Fox Pokemon said.

"Chopper, do you know what they're saying?" asked Nami.

Chopper shook his head.

"I've never heard their kind of language, before," said the little reindeer.

"I think they're welcoming Zorua home," Luffy said. "I can hear them saying 'We missed you, Zorua'!"

"Wow!" Nami said. "Robin, are these all Pokemon, too?"

"Yes," Robin answered. "Pansage, Panpour, Pansear, Emolga, Mincinno, Drillbur, Purrloin, Vulpix, Eevee, Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig, and Pikachu. These are all different types and species of Pokemon."

"_They're also my friends!"_ Zorua said.

At that moment, the Pokemon noticed the Straw Hats, and immediately ran back to their hiding spots, seemingly frightened by their presence.

"_Hey!"_ Zorua called to them. _"Come on, you guys! You're being rude! They're my friends, too, you know!"_

"What's wrong with them?" asked Usopp.

"_Forgive them,"_ Zoroark said. _"They are not used to seeing humans like you, unlike Zorua."_

Luffy was the first to attempt to approach the scared Pokemon, and got down on his knees.

"Hey," he said. "It's okay, you guys. We won't hurt you."

The Pokemon seemed reluctant to approach. Luffy didn't blame them, though. Like Zoroark said, they had never seen many humans before, especially ones like him.

"_Come on, you guys,"_ Zorua said. _"You can trust Luffy and the others!"_

A slight pause. Then, Pikachu glanced at his fellow Pokemon, and then turned to Luffy. Slowly and cautiously, he approached Luffy, who gave him a friendly smile.

"_That's Pikachu,"_ said Zorua. _"He's my best friend!"_

"Hi, Pikachu!" Luffy greeted.

Pikachu's nose twitched, and then he returned Luffy's smile.

"Pika!" he cried.

Luffy grinned and chuckled at the mouse-like Pokemon.

"I wonder what these red spots on his cheeks are for," he wondered.

Without warning, Luffy grabbed Pikachu by the sides of his face, taking him by surprise.

"_No, no, Luffy, wait!"_ Zorua cried. _"Don't do that!"_

"Pika…CHUUUUUU!"

**KRRZZZZZZZTT!** Pikachu suddenly zapped Luffy with electricity, only for it to have no effect on the rubber-man.

"Pika?" Pikachu chirped, confused.

"_Hey,"_ Zorua said. _"Luffy, Pikachu zapped you but you didn't get hurt. Why?"_

"That's because Luffy's made of rubber," said Nami. "Things like blunt attacks or electricity can't hurt him."

The Pokemon glanced at each other, and then, deciding that Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats didn't mean them any harm, approached them.

The three monkey-like Pokemon approached Luffy after Pikachu.

"Cool!" Luffy said. "Monkeys!"

"_These three are Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour,"_ Zorua said. _"They're really funny!"_

Luffy, of course, decided to try and befriend the trio by acting like a monkey, scratching his sides and making monkey chatter.

Pansear, the red one, looked to Pansage, the green one, and Panpour, the blue one, then back at Luffy. He then approached Luffy and began to beat his chest like a regular monkey.

"Sear! Pansear!" he cried.

"_He said, 'I'm stronger!'"_ Zorua translated.

"Oh, yeah?" Luffy questioned before he started to make even more monkey noises, and even beat his own chest.

Pansear seemed surprised, at first, but then, he began to jump around, cheerfully, and climbed up on Luffy's head. Pansage and Panpour soon followed and began to brush their paws through Luffy's hair, like they were grooming him, making the Straw Hat captain laugh.

"It's about time someone to pick the lice out of Luffy's hair," said Nami, but then, she felt something brush up against her leg. It was the cat-like Purrloin and the six-tailed fox, Vulpix.

"Aww, they're so cute~!" Nami swooned.

"These are Purrloin and Vulpix," said Robin. "Purrloin is called the Devious Pokemon because it likes to steal things from people and play with them. It acts cute only as a ruse. Vulpix is called the Fox Pokemon. It's a fire-type, and when it's born, it only has one snow white tail which splits into six as it gets older. The tails are said to be hot to the touch."

Nami picked up Vulpix.

"This is one is so cute and fluffy," she commented.

"Vulpix!" Vulpix cried and nuzzled Nami affectionately.

"Aww~!" Nami swooned again. "I think she likes me!"

Purrloin was also putting on the charms with Robin, who chuckled as she pet her.

"Purr~," Purrloin purred.

"Yes, yes, Purrloin," she said. "You're very adorable."

"Purrloin, Purr~!" Purrloin mewed.

Zoro is then approached by another Pokemon. He looked like a little otter with a seashell on its tummy.

"Oshawott!" he cried.

"What are you looking at?" Zoro questioned.

"That Pokemon is Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon," Robin pointed. "The seashell on its stomach is called a scalchop. It uses it as a weapon."

"Osha…!" Oshawott squeaked, his eyes fixated on Zoro's swords.

Zoro raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Seems like he's taken a liking to your swords, Zoro," Robin commented with a chuckle.

Zoro looked back down at the Sea Otter Pokemon with intrigue.

"So, you're like a swordsman or something?" he asked.

"Oshawott! Oshawott!" Oshawott chirped, nodding his head.

Zoro smirked.

"I think I'm starting to like you, already, little guy," he said.

"Osha!" Oshawott cried, the feeling apparently mutual.

"Robin, what about this one?" Usopp called as he picked up Eevee, another fox-like Pokemon.

"That's Eevee," Robin said. "Eevee is called the Evolution Pokemon."

"Evolution?" Franky repeated. "Why?"

"Because Eevee can change into several different forms depending on its environment," Robin answered. "For instance, if Eevee were to come into contact with something such a Fire Stone, it would cause it to evolve into one of its evolved forms, Flareon."

"I think I get it," Usopp said.

"He's kind of soft," Franky commented, gently brushing his robotic fingers through Eevee's smooth, brown fur. The little guy seemed to like it, for he let out this little content squeak.

"Eevee!"

"Aw, look at him!" Usopp said. "He's a cute little ball of fuzz, isn't he?"

"Sure is!" Franky answered.

Usopp put Eevee back down on the ground and watched him run off to play with the other Pokemon, mostly the snake-like Pokemon, Snivy.

"That one is Snivy," said Robin. "The Grass Snake Pokemon. She's very intelligent and calm, and being exposed to sunlight makes its movements swifter."

"Snivy," the Grass Snake Pokemon said, sticking her nose in the air, all snooty-like.

"Snivy can also be rather vain," said Robin with a chuckle.

"I can see that," commented Nami.

**GRRUUUUUUUUMBLE!** Luffy's stomach starts growling.

"Aw, man," said the captain. "I'm starving."

"_Me, too,"_ Zorua said. _"Hey! Emolga! Get us some food, will you?"_

"Emol!" Emolga, the squirrel-like Pokemon, chirped before she hurriedly scurried up one of the fruit trees, and then, she opened her arms, revealing a yellow membrane in between her arms and legs.

**FWIP!** Emolga jumped from the trees and grabbed as much as fruit as possible with her tail.

"Emolga is called the Sky Squirrel Pokemon," Robin said. "She's both an Electric and Flying-type. The electricity made in the yellow pouches on its cheeks are stored in its wing membranes and then released when it's gliding."

Emolga dropped some fruit in Luffy's lap.

"Thanks!" Luffy said gratefully. "It's not meat, but I bet it'll still be good!"

**CHOMP!** Luffy bit down on the fruit and savored the sweet flavor.

"I was right!" he said.

The other Pokemon surrounded Luffy, eyeing the fruit in his lap.

"Oh, yeah!" said Luffy. "You guys gotta eat, too, right?"

The Pokemon nodded.

"Okay," said Luffy. "Go ahead! Take as much as you want! Besides, I've got my lunchbox!"

Zorua and friends gladly took the fruits from Luffy's lap and began to eat.

"Tepig!" cried the little pig-like Pokemon.

**FWOOSH!** He blew flames from his snout, roasting the fruit before eating it.

"That one is Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokemon," Robin said as she pet Tepig. "He can deftly dodge his opponent's attacks while shooting fireballs from its nose and when it eats food, it tends to roast it first before eating."

"An animal that can cook for itself," said Sanji. "I kinda like that."

"Tepig!" Tepig squealed.

"It's amazing what kind of creatures you find out here in the New World," said Nami.

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed. "Especially like these guys! Right, Zorua?"

"_Right!"_ said Zorua with a smile before he jumped down from Luffy's lap.

"_Come on, everybody!"_ he said. _"Let's go and play!"_

The Pokemon let out cries of agreement before they followed the Tricky Fox away.

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy said. "Can I go play with them, too? Please?"

"Me, too!" Chopper said.

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked.

"Sure," Nami replied. "Have fun."

"Yippee!" Luffy cheered before he ran off to join the Pokemon in play with Chopper and Blizzard following behind him. "Wait up, you guys!"

Luffy, Chopper, Blizzard, Zorua, and all his friends began to playfully chase each other around on the grass, laughing merrily. They would even tackle each other to the ground (not too rough, of course) while Zoroark and the Straw Hats watched from a distance.

**FWUMP!** Zorua tackled Luffy to the ground, once again, and soon, they were surrounded by the Pokemon, as well as Blizzard and Chopper, once again.

Zorua rested his head on Luffy's chest, a smile on his fuzzy face.

"_Luffy,_" he said. _"Thanks for bringing me back home."_

Luffy smiled and pet the scruff of fur on Zorua's head.

"Well, I did promise," said Luffy.

"_And we'll be friends, forever,"_ Zorua said. _"We will, won't we, Luffy?"_

"Of course," said Luffy. "We'll be friends, forever, Zorua!"

Zorua giggled as Luffy embraced him while the rest of the Straw Hats came to join them and the rest of the Pokemon.

The only one who stayed behind was Zoroark, who looked at Luffy with this rather bitter glare in her eyes. She turned away, silently, and stalked off into the shadows, alone.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>About time I updated this, huh?<p>

Review, please!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>What a day it's been.<p>

Luffy and the Straw Hats had spent all day playing with Zorua and his friends in the Pokemon Paradise. Well, Luffy, Blizzard, and Chopper played with them the most. The others just sat and watched them.

They played seesaw on a big hollow log. They jumped up and down on giant mushrooms like trampolines. They slid down slippery tree roots and swung on vines. They splashed around in the lake and rode down the waterfalls together. They raced each other and ate berries and fruits and some of the food in the Straw Hats' lunchboxes until they couldn't anymore.

However, Zorua couldn't help but notice that his mother, Zoroark, seemed to distance herself from the Straw Hats, and that she looked rather angry about something. He just put if off as something like a bad itch or maybe a stomachache.

Luffy, on the other hand, didn't think that was the case.

It is now nightfall, and that means that it's time for both the Pokemon and the Straw Hats to get some well deserved shuteye.

The Pokemon climbed into their beds for the night, huddled up together to fend off the cold.

Zoroark curled up inside her den, amongst the cushion of soft leaves, letting out a tired yawn as Zorua climbed inside her mane. He poked his little head out and let out a yawn of his own.

"_Goodnight, Momma,"_ Zorua said, sleepily.

"_Goodnight, my little one,"_ Zoroark said, smiling.

With that, Zorua and Zoroark cast into slumber.

Underneath a hollow tree, the Straw Hats are asleep, as well. Well…except one.

While a snoozing Nami laid her head across his chest, Luffy was wide awake, for some reason, and what's more…he seemed to be deep in thought, which was very rare.

Heaving a sigh, Luffy stood up and got out from under the tree, but he had forgotten that Nami was still using his chest as an impromptu pillow. As a result, he ended up waking her up and caused her to fall on the ground.

"Hey!" Nami cried.

Luffy didn't seem to hear her. He just started walking off to who-knows-where.

Normally, Nami would be annoyed, but she knew that when Luffy starts wandering off like that, something must've been troubling him. Brushing the dirt out of her orange locks, the navigator got out from under the tree and proceeded to follow her captain.

It seemed like forever while Luffy was walking until he finally came to this cliff at the end of a tunnel which had a clear, wide-open view of the sea and the sky. Nami remembered that Zorua had showed them this path while they were exploring today. Maybe Luffy missed being out at sea, so Nami assumed he came out here because of that.

Just to be sure…

"Luffy," Nami called him from behind.

Luffy turned to her, but had this look that said that he wasn't really surprised. Then again, he pretty much figured that Nami had been following him the whole time, thanks to his Observation Haki.

"Hey, Nami," Luffy greeted her as he turned back to face the ocean.

Nami came to stand beside him.

"It is a very beautiful view," she commented, holding her arms behind her back. "You can see the whole ocean and the stars in the sky. You can even smell the salty air when the wind blows."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed.

A pause. Then, Nami turned to look at Luffy.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked. "You looked fine today while you were playing with Zorua and the other Pokemon, but now, you just look…I dunno, sad. What's the problem?"

Luffy didn't answer her.

Nami then eyed the bandages around his stomach, and then glanced back up at Luffy's face.

"Are you worried about something?" she asked him. "Maybe, after you saw how pretty this place is…you won't wanna leave once your wounds heal, right? You're afraid to leave Zorua behind, is that it?"

"No," Luffy answered.

Nami gasped silently. She was almost certain that she had hit the mark!

"Well, if that's not the problem, what is it?" she questioned, sounding a bit irritated.

Luffy heaved a sigh.

"Don't get mad, okay?" he asked her.

"Why?" Nami asked.

"I was…thinking about asking Zorua to join us," Luffy said.

Nami groaned and placed her palm against her forehead.

_Should've seen that coming,_ she thought.

"But…then I decided not to," Luffy said, suddenly.

"What?" Nami asked. "Why not? I mean, don't get me wrong, Luffy! I don't really agree on Zorua joining and all, but…why attempt to ask him and then decide not to? Do you think he's not 'cool' anymore or something like that?"

Luffy shook his head.

"Well, what is it?" Nami asked.

"Zoroark," Luffy answered, simply.

"Zoroark?" Nami repeated. "What about her?"

"Nami," Luffy began, "I think…I think I might be scared of her, now."

Nami's eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Scared of her?" asked Nami. "How so?"

"Because…she said she's gonna kill me if I ever come back," Luffy replied.

Nami gasped.

"W…when did this happen?" she asked.

"While we were playing today," Luffy replied.

_Flashback, earlier today_

Luffy, Blizzard, Chopper, Zorua, and all the Pokemon (sans Zoroark and the rest of the Straw Hats) are playing in the meadow after they just got through playing trampoline on the mushrooms.

"_Last one to the lake is a rotten Pecha Berry!"_ Zorua called.

"You're on, Zorua!" Luffy called back.

"I'm gonna be the first, this time!" Chopper declared.

As they raced, Zoroark sat on a nearby rock, watching them. She still had that bitter glare in her eyes, and it was mostly on Luffy.

"_You! Straw Hat!"_ she called to the young man, forcing him to stop.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered.

"_Come here,"_ Zoroark said, beckoning Luffy closer with a claw. _"I want a word with you."_

"Me?" Luffy questioned, gesturing to himself.

"_Who do you think I'm speaking to?"_ Zoroark inquired.

"_Luffy!"_

Luffy turned to see Zorua running up to him.

"_What are you doing?"_ the Tricky Fox asked. _"We're in the middle of a race, remember?"_

"_Zorua,"_ Zoroark called to her son. _"Why don't you go and keep playing? Momma has to speak with Luffy for a moment, all right?"_

"_Huh? But Momma-"_ Zorua started.

"Go on, Zorua," Luffy said, cutting him off. "You go on without me. I'll catch up as soon your mom's done talking to me, okay?"

"_Well…"_ Zorua began, _"Okay!"_

With that being said, Zorua scampered off, leaving Luffy with Zoroark.

"So, what do you want, Zoroark?" Luffy asked.

"_Listen, here, Straw Hat,"_ Zoroark said. _"Since the beginning of time, humans were forbidden to set foot here on Lostlorn Island. By allowing you and your cohorts to stay, I have violated the very law I was supposed to uphold. Not just that, but I've allowed you to become friends with my son, as well."_

"How is that bad?" Luffy asked.

"_Let me ask you straight-out,"_ Zoroark answered. _"You and your friends are what they call 'pirates', are you not?"_

"Well, yeah," Luffy answered.

"_And let me ask you this,"_ Zoroark said. _"You were going to ask my son to join you, were you not?"_

Luffy's eyes went wide.

"_I thought so,"_ Zoroark hissed. _"Listen here, Straw Hat. Zorua is my son. If anything, you are more of a danger to him than that storm was."_

"What?" Luffy questioned. "Zoroark, no! I-"

"_I almost lost Zorua once, and I will not lose him again!"_ barked Zoroark with a snarl. _"So listen very carefully, Straw Hat. As soon as your injuries have healed, I want you to take your crew and leave this place. Once you do, you will forget all about Zorua, because you will never see him, ever again! In other words, I never want you to come back…because if I ever see you here, again…for Zorua's safety…I will be forced to kill you."_

Luffy gritted his teeth.

"But…but you can't-"

**GRRR~!** Zoroark growled in Luffy's face, and for once, it left him with nothing to say.

For once…Luffy was scared.

"_We're done here, boy,"_ Zoroark said. _"And don't you dare breathe a word of this to Zorua."_

**Gulp!** Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat, but then he turned and ran to catch up with Zorua and the rest of the Pokemon, and Zoroark just sat on her perch and watched him.

_Flashback end_

"That's…that's awful, Luffy!" Nami said. "And Zorua doesn't know?!"

"No, he doesn't," Luffy said.

"Well…you are gonna tell him, aren't you?" Nami asked.

"I can't tell him," Luffy replied. "If I did…I might ruin what he and Zoroark have. Besides, Zoroark's probably right. The longer I stay here, the more Zorua's gonna get attached to me. When we leave…I'm afraid Zorua's gonna wanna come with us."

"So…you're just gonna keep quiet about this?" asked Nami. "You know you're not good at keeping secrets, Luffy."

"What choice do I have?" asked Luffy. "Anyway, it's late, so I'm going back to sleep, and I think you better do the same, Nami."

Nami watched as her captain went back to sleep underneath the tree with the others before she decided to follow him.

XXX

The next morning, after breakfast, the Pokemon had started playing, again, while the Straw Hats went about doing who-knows-what.

Zoro is napping with Oshawott.

Nami and Robin are grooming Purrloin and Eevee.

Sanji is cooking lunch with Tepig.

Usopp is playing "Bull's Eye" with Snivy, seeing who could hit how many fruits in one shot.

Chopper is playing chase with Blizzard and Pikachu, as well as the three monkeys, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour.

Franky and Brook are playing their guitars while Vulpix and Emolga happily sang along.

However, someone had decided not to join in on the fun.

It's Luffy. He is sitting on the cliff, facing the ocean, again.

He had decided that he wouldn't play with Zorua, today. If he did, it would make their bond of friendship stronger…and that may make Zorua want to come with him even more, when the time comes.

Suddenly…

"_BOO!"_

Luffy turned to see Zorua, who had thrown himself on his shoulder, smiling playfully.

"_I surprised you, didn't I, Luffy?"_ the Tricky Fox Pokemon asked.

"Heh," Luffy chuckled, although a bit mirthlessly. "Yeah, you sure did."

Zorua's smile suddenly fell.

"_What's wrong, Luffy?"_ asked Zorua. _"Don't you feel well?"_

"I'm fine, Zorua, really," Luffy replied. "Now…why don't you go and play?"

"_But…I wanna play with you, Luffy,"_ said Zorua.

"Zorua…I just don't feel like playing, today. I'm sorry."

Zorua tilted his head, puzzled…and maybe a little concerned. He hopped down from Luffy's shoulder, climbed into the Straw Hat captain's lap, and looked up at his face, placing his front paws on his chest.

"_Luffy,"_ Zorua said. _"Momma once told me that keeping your feelings inside is like eating rotten berries. If you keep too many of the bad ones inside, you'll make your tummy upset."_

Luffy chuckled, again mirthlessly.

"Your Mom talks a lot of sense," he said as he gently patted Zorua's tuft of hair, but then he heaved a sigh.

"Okay," he said. "I might as well tell you."

Zorua looked up at Luffy with ears pricked up.

"Zorua," said Luffy. "Your Mom doesn't want us here."

At first, Zorua appeared surprised, but then he laughed.

"_That's silly!"_ he said. _"If Momma didn't want you here, then she wouldn't let you stay!"_

"She only let us stay because it made you happy," Luffy said. "The truth is, Zorua…your Mom hates us…me, especially."

Zorua gasped.

"_But…but that can't be,"_ he rebuked._ "She let you and the others stay here and play with me, Luffy."_

"But she also wants us to leave as soon as I'm better…and…she doesn't want us to come back…ever."

"_But…but why?"_

"You won't understand, Zorua," said Luffy. "You're just a kid."

Zorua looked up at Luffy in disbelief.

"_So…you're saying that…when you leave…I'm never gonna see you or Nami or Blizzard or Zoro…or everybody else, ever again?"_ he asked.

Luffy exhaled and nodded, solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Zorua," said Luffy.

A pause, but then, the silence is replaced by sniffles, and then by small, soft sobs. Luffy held Zorua close to his chest as the little fox cried, his tears falling onto his scar.

"_It's not fair!"_ Zorua cried. _"I don't want you to go away, forever, Luffy! W…we're friends! Friends forever! That's what you said!"_

Luffy didn't reply. Instead, he just kept holding Zorua, tightly as the little ball of fuzz continued to cry.

XXX

Later on…

"_Zorua? What's wrong, my child? Why aren't you playing with your friends?"_

Zoroark found Zorua, lying inside his mother's den, all by himself.

"_I'm just fine, Momma,"_ said Zorua.

Zoroark narrowed her eyes and went inside the den, and gently brushed her claw against Zorua's face, but Zorua pulled away and went to sit in the corner of the den.

"_Zorua, what's wrong with you?"_ asked Zoroark. _"This is not how you normally act."_

She smiled and went to pick her child up.

"_Come here, my son,"_ she said. _"Do you need a hug?"_

"_No!"_ Zorua shouted as he pulled himself away. _"I don't want any hugs!"_

Zoroark's mouth gaped in surprise.

"_Zorua, what has come over you?"_ she asked her son. _"You are not acting like yourself! What troubles you?"_

A slight pause, but then Zorua sat up and looked up at his mother.

"_Luffy told me what you said to him, Momma,"_ Zorua said.

Zoroark made a slight sound of surprise…and a bit of anger.

"_How could you, Momma?"_ Zorua asked. _"I thought you liked Luffy and the others! Why would you let them stay if you didn't even like them?!"_

"_I only let them stay because they saved your life and brought you back home,"_ Zoroark argued. _"I had violated the law of Lostlorn Island by allowing those humans here, but if they stayed here any longer, then you would have wanted to leave with them!"_

"_That's not true!"_ Zorua said. _"Momma, I'd never leave you! Or Pikachu and everyone else! This is my home, but Luffy and the others are my friends, now!"_

"_Even so, Zorua, they cannot stay any longer! As soon as Straw Hat's wounds have healed, you are never to see him, again!"_

"_That's not fair, Momma!"_

"_I am your Mother, Zorua! I know what it is best for you!"_

"_You do not! You just don't want me to have any new friends! You're the worst Momma and I HATE YOU!"_

Zoroark seemed to choke on her own breath once her son uttered those words, and then began to shake her head in disbelief.

"_Z…Zorua,"_ she said as she reached out to touch him. _"You do not-"_

"_Don't touch me!"_ Zorua snapped. **SWAP!** He slapped Zoroark's claw away from him, and then turned away from her. _"I'm not speaking to you, anymore! Just leave me alone!"_

Zoroark stared at Zorua in disbelief, and she felt her body tremble and her face get hot. Her vision blurred, somewhat, as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, but then, she is overcome with tremendous rage. She quickly dashed out from the den, growling ferociously.

_**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRK!**_ She roared.

XXX

Luffy looked up and around, all of a sudden.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked.

"Did you hear something?" he asked.

"Like what?" asked Zoro.

"Oshawott?" Oshawott chirped, questioningly.

"It sounded like a roar," said Luffy.

"_STRAW HAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"_

Luffy turned around when he heard that cry, and saw, to his shock, that it is Zoroark, charging at him on all fours.

"Zoroark?!" Luffy shouted.

**THWAM!** Zoroark threw her claws down on Luffy, only for her attack to be dodged as Luffy quickly jumped away. As he did, the Straw Hat captain saw that the Illusion Fox Pokemon's visage clearly said "enraged". Zoroark looked up at Luffy with snarl, and said…

"_I am going to KILL YOU, Straw Hat!"_

"WHAT?!" Luffy questioned.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Yes, I know, it's short and rushed, but this is the best I could do with this chapter.<p>

Read and review, please!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, and Captain Knuckle © Me

* * *

><p>Luffy somersaulted out of the way of the raging Zoroark's claws. The Straw Hats watched, unsure of what to do. The Pokemon were also frightened by their guardian's sudden attack on their new friend, and stayed hidden in the trees, the bushes, or the pond.<p>

"Zoroark!" Luffy cried. "Stop it!"

**SLASH!** Zoroark roared as she attempted to slash Luffy with her claws, again, only for her attack to be blocked by Luffy's arm. She made another attempt to attack the Straw Hat captain's bandaged stomach with her free claws, but Luffy managed to block that with his foot.

"Zoroark!" he said. "Why the hell are you attacking me?!"

"Yeah, Zoroark!" Nami agreed. "Stop it! You're scaring all the other Pokemon!"

Zoroark seemed to be angry to listen.

_**GRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRRK!**_ She let out ferocious roar, frightening the smaller, younger Pokemon.

"_I'LL KILL YOU, STRAW HAT~!"_ She bellowed as she freed herself from Luffy's block.

**SWIPE!** She made another slash of her claws at Luffy, who dodged, once again, and turned to run away, but Zoroark gave chase after him. Tepig and Snivy ducked out of the way as Luffy found himself backed up against a rock wall.

"Zoroark, stop!" he said. "Calm down, already!"

**SWAK! SWAK! SWAK! SWAK!** Zoroark tried to hit Luffy by stabbing her claws at him, but thanks to his Haki, the latter was able to evade them easily.

"_HOLD STILL!"_ Zoroark growled before she attempted to make another attempt at stabbing Luffy, but then, **WHAP!** She felt someone grab her arm. Turning around, she saw Chopper (in Heavy Point), his huge hand grabbing Zoroark's arm.

"Zoroark, you need to calm down and- WAH!" Chopper spoke before Zoroark mustered all her strength and threw him over her shoulder, plowing him into the ground. "Ow…!"

_CHOPPER!_ Blizzard thought before he growled and charged at Zoroark, who charged back at him and **BAM!** They collided, headfirst, but Zoroark grabbed Blizzard by his ears and threw him into a stone wall. She then turned her attention back to Luffy, who attempted to climb up a tree.

"Luffy, no!" Nami cried.

Too late. As Luffy attempted tried to get up the tree, **WHAP!** He felt one of his pants' legs get grabbed, and then, with a mighty tug, Luffy was yanked out of the tree like a freshly picked apple and Zoroark threw him down to the ground once more.

"AGH!" Luffy cried. "Zoroark, what's gotten into you?!"

**THOMP!** Zoroark pinned Luffy down to the ground with her paws and opened her mouth wide. She threw her head down and prepared to bite Luffy's face, but the Straw Hat captain threw his arm in the way in an attempt to block it. **CHOMP!** Zoroark bit down hard on Luffy's arm, making him cry out in pain before **WHAM!** He kicked Zoroark in the stomach, forcing her to release her before he continued to run away, holding his bleeding arm as he did, and the Illusion Fox Pokemon gave chase after him.

"Luffy, stop running!" Nami shouted. "That's just what she wants!"

"Fight back!" Zoro called.

"No! Drop on the ground and play dead!" Usopp added.

"THAT'S WITH BEARS!" Luffy yelled back before he dove to the safety of the bottom a hollow tree, forcing Zoroark to stop. The spaces in the roots were too small for her body to fit through, but she growled as she attempted to find an opening large enough for her to at least squeeze her head in. **SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!** She snapped her jaws on Luffy's head, but Luffy managed to evade her bites. Then she tried to reach in and grab Luffy with her claws. Looking around, frantically, Luffy spotted a stone sitting next to him, and then looked back at Zoroark, who continued to try and grab at him with his claws.

**KRUNCH!** Luffy grabbed the stone and jammed it in between Zoroark's arm and the tree root, causing her to roar in pain. This gave Luffy a chance to jump out from under the tree and escape, once more, but once again, Zoroark gave chase after him.

_**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRR~!**_ Zoroark roared, again.

"Stop!" Luffy cried. "Dammit, Zoroark, do NOT make me hurt you!"

_**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRR~!**_ Zoroark roared, once again. **SWIPE!** She slashed her claws at Luffy, once more, only for it to be dodged with a backwards somersault.

"Fine! But I warned you!" Luffy shouted before he stretched his arm back, pumping his blood through his body and turning his arm black. "Gear Second- Armaments Enhancement!"

"Luffy, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Usopp questioned. "Get outta there! She's coming for you!"

Zoroark galloped furiously towards Luffy, growling viciously.

**FOOSH!** Luffy's extended arm ignited into flames.

"Gum GUUUUUUUM…RED HAWK!"

**WHOOSH! KAPOW! KOFF!** Luffy's flaming arm collided with Zoroark, hitting her square in the chest. The resulting blast not only burned her, but it caused her to cough up blood.

**FWUMP!** Zoroark fell to the ground, landing between Nami and Usopp. However, despite her injury, she staggered to her feet and attempted to charge Luffy, once again.

"Zoroark, I don't understand!" Luffy said. "What did I do to you?!"

"_BECAUSE OF YOU, MY SON HATES ME!"_ Zoroark shouted.

Everyone , even the Pokemon who had been observing the battle, gasped.

"Oh, no…" Nami murmured.

**THWAK!** Zoroark slammed her paw into Luffy's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"Luffy!" the Straw Hats cried.

"_Because of your loudmouth, Zorua hates me!"_ Zoroark growled, beginning to wrap her claws around Luffy's throat. _"And now…I'm going to have to kill you!"_

"And you think that will really stop him from being mad at you?!" Luffy questioned.

Zoroark paused.

"Zoroark, I know that you're his mom, and all," Luffy started as he grabbed at Zoroark's arm, "but…this is not the way you're supposed to be protecting him! You can't shield him from everything!"

"_Who the hell are you to tell me how to raise my child?!"_ Zoroark questioned.

"Listen," Luffy said. "Let me talk to Zorua, okay? Maybe I can get through to him."

"_No!"_ Zoroark barked. _"I do not trust you!"_

"Zoroark, please!" Nami said. "Luffy has this…really weird way with words, sometimes! He can actually be very persuasive when he wants to be! Give him a chance!"

Zoroark seethed at Luffy, but then she heaved a sigh and let Luffy go.

"_I am giving you one more chance, Straw Hat,"_ she said, threateningly. _"My Zorua better not still be angry with me by the time I get back from patrolling the island, because if he is, I will crunch your head in my jaws."_

With that, Zoroark stalked off, leaving Luffy to find Zorua. Hopefully, he can set things right.

XXX

Luffy, his arm now bandaged by Chopper, found Zorua, still lying curled up in the den.

"Hey, Zorua," said Luffy.

Zorua turned to look up at the Straw Hat captain, still looking very sad.

"_Hi, Luffy,"_ said the Tricky Fox Pokemon.

Luffy walked into the den and sat down next to Zorua. Then he picked him up and laid him down in his lap.

"Your mom says that you and her had a bit of a falling out," said Luffy.

Zorua just sighed.

"Listen, Zorua," said Luffy. "I know that sometimes, a mom will do stuff that will kinda make you mad…but…you don't really hate your mom, do you?"

"_No…"_ Zorua answered.

"Then why did you say that you did to her?" asked Luffy.

"_I…I guess I don't really know,"_ Zorua said. _"I guess I was just so angry that she didn't want us to be friends, anymore, that I didn't even know what I was saying. I must've really hurt her feelings, huh, Luffy?"_

"Yeah, you sure did," Luffy said. "Zorua…I know your mom made you upset, but she's your mom. The only one you've got in this world. You can't be mad at her, forever."

"_So…what should I do?"_ Zorua asked.

"You should go find your mom and apologize," Luffy replied, "and it should be from your heart." He pointed to Zorua's chest.

"_But…what if she doesn't wanna talk to me? What if she ends up hating me?"_

"That's not gonna happen, Zorua, because you're her son, and she loves you very much. Heck, just to make sure, I'll even go with you."

"_Really?"_

"Of course, I will. After all, we are friends. Friends forever, remember?"

Zorua smiled and nuzzled his face against Luffy's chest.

"_Yeah,"_ he said. _"Friends forever. Like you said, Luffy."_

Luffy smiled and cuddled Zorua in his arms.

"Okay," said Luffy. "Let's go and find your mom, now."

"_She usually goes outside to patrol the forest at this time of day,"_ Zorua said. _"Come on! Let's go see if we can find her!"_

With that, Luffy and Zorua left the den to go find Zoroark. Hopefully, she had calmed down enough to listen to reason.

XXX

Meanwhile, Zoroark is out, stalking on all fours through the forest surrounding the oasis. She made a soft, purring growl in her throat. Obviously, she is still upset about what her son had said, and she is still quite furious at Luffy for telling him, even though he gave her his word.

She started to wonder if being a mother was really worth all this trouble.

"Hey, Zoroark!"

Zoroark turned around and saw Luffy approaching her with Zorua at his side.

"_What do you want, Straw Hat?"_ asked Zoroark. _"Can't you see I'm in the middle of patrolling the island?"_

"Zoroark," said Luffy. "Zorua has something he wants to say to you." He looked down at Zorua, who seemed a bit hesitant. "Go on, Zorua," he urged as he gently nudged the Tricky Fox forward with his foot.

Zorua approached his mother and looked up to see her face.

"_Momma,"_ he said. _"I…I know that you got upset because I got mad at you…but…Luffy is my friend, and you promised you'd let him stay until he felt better…but you shouldn't be mad at him and send him away, forever."_

Zoroark just stared at Zorua.

"_But still…I shouldn't have said that I hate you,"_ said Zorua. _"I know it really hurt your feelings, Momma."_

Zoroark raised her head up a little, her ears pricked.

"_I…"_ Zorua began. _"I guess I'm what I'm trying to say is…Momma, I-"_

"_Shh!"_ Zoroark shushed him before she looked behind herself.

"Hey!" Luffy said. "Don't shush him! He's trying to-"

"_Quiet, I said!"_ Zoroark whispered before she turned around completely, ears swiveling. That's when Luffy realized that she must've heard something.

"What is it?" asked Luffy in a hushed voice.

"_Momma?"_ Zorua called, puzzled…and a bit worried.

Zoroark's blue eyes darted this way and that with ears pointed. **SNURK! SNURK! Grr~!** She sniffed the air and then growled.

"_Humans…"_ she thought. _"More of them are here…on the island."_

"What?!" Luffy questioned.

"_The Marines…"_ Zorua said. _"They must've followed us!"_

"_You brought more of them here?!"_ Zoroark asked Luffy, growling angrily.

"N-no!" Luffy said. "And even if we did, we didn't mean to!"

"_Never mind!"_ Zoroark growled. _"Take Zorua and get him back to the oasis! I'll deal with these invaders, myself."_

"No!" Luffy said. "Zoroark, you can't take the Marines on your own, no matter how strong you are! You're gonna need me and my crew to help you!"

"_I said go!"_ Zoroark barked.

Luffy paused, but then, he picked Zorua up before he turned tail and ran, leaving Zoroark alone.

"_Wait!"_ Zorua cried. _"Momma! Momma!"_

Zoroark stood where she was, ignoring her son's calls, when suddenly, her body seemed to twitch, involuntarily. **KOFF!** She covered her mouth with her paw and then pulled it away, revealing specks of blood that stained her fur.

Zoroark's eyes went wide. Why did she suddenly start coughing up blood?

That's when she gasped in realization.

"_Straw Hat's punch…"_ she said, momentarily remembering Luffy's Red Hawk attack.

**KRUNCH!** She heard the snap of a twig, and she looked up, and saw, to her anger, that Luffy was right. The Marines approached her from the shadows of the forest, and leading them is Moss and Knuckle.

"Well, well, well," Moss said with a toothy smirk. "You must be the rare Zoroark. A pleasure to meet you at last."

Moss' Mightyena growled at Zoroark, who glared back at him.

"_Explain yourselves,"_ Zoroark said. _"What do you want here?"_

"Why…you, of course," Moss answered with a sinister chuckle.

XXX

Meanwhile, Luffy is running back to the oasis with Zorua in his arms.

"_Luffy, wait!"_ Zorua said. _"What about Momma? We're not just gonna leave her back there with the Marines, are we?!"_

"Who said?" Luffy questioned. "We're just going back to get help."

"_Huh?"_

"Like I said…she can't handle the Marines on her own," Luffy said before he grinned. "Trust me."

Zoroark smiled back at him.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>AT FREAKING LAST! I'm so sorry I took so long getting this up, and I'm sorry it's short, but it's the best thing I could come up with.<p>

I've been so busy~! TT^TT

Anyway, review please!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, Captain Knuckle © Me

* * *

><p>"Guys! Guys!"<p>

"_Everyone!"_

The Straw Hats and Pokemon looked up upon hearing the familiar voices of Luffy and Zorua, and speak of the devil, there they were, appearing from the entrance tunnel.

"Luffy?" Nami asked. "What's wrong, is everything okay?

"Remember those Marines we ran into the other day?" Luffy asked. "Well, they're here on the island, and Zoroark's facing them alone!"

The Straw Hats and the Pokemon gasped.

"Zoroark's going to challenge the Marines, alone?!" Usopp questioned. "That's crazy! I don't care how strong she is! There's no way she can take them all on, by herself!"

"Why didn't you stop her?!" asked Nami.

"She made me take Zorua and run," Luffy answered, "but I had to come back here to get help, and I don't think that we've got much time! So what do you guys say?"

The Straw Hats seemed a bit uncertain.

"Luffy," Nami said, "you know that Zoroark attacked you."

"Yeah, I know that, Nami, but she's still Zorua's mom," Luffy rebuked before he looked to all the other Pokemon. "And in a way…she's their mom, too. Without her…he and all these other little guys won't make it."

"_Luffy…"_ Zorua muttered.

A pause, but then, Nami sighed.

"Fine," the navigator said. "We'll help. Besides, Zoroark may not like us, but she did let us stay here. Might as well return the favor, right?"

"And besides, I was getting pretty bored, anyway," Zoro added.

"You'd make us help even if we didn't want to, right, Luffy?" asked Sanji.

"If Zoroark gets hurt, then I'll be there to fix her up, quick as a wink!" Chopper declared.

"OW!" Franky shouted, striking his signature pose. "All right, you guys! Let's get SUPER and help these little guys, out!"

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked out, excitedly.

Robin just chuckled.

"YOHOHOHOHO!" Brook chortled.

All the other Pokemon soon made cries of agreement.

"_You guys…"_ Zorua said with tears forming in his eyes.

Luffy grinned.

"I knew you'd see it my way," he said. "Okay! Let's do this!"

"Wait, Luffy!" Nami said. "We can't just rush right in without a strategy!"

"She's right, Luffy," Usopp said. "How are we gonna do this?"

Luffy just flashed a toothy smirk.

"Here's the plan," he said.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the forest, Zoroark found herself surrounded by the Marines, led by Vice-Admiral Moss and Captain Knuckle.

"_You say that you came for me,"_ Zoroark said. _"Is that all you want?"_

"That's right," said Moss. "Now, I'm not really in the mood for any fights, Zoroark. Just come quietly and you won't get hurt."

"_I'm afraid that you are the ones who have to go,"_ said Zoroark. _"Humans are forbidden to set foot here."_

"Really?" Moss asked with a smirk. "How odd. When we moored our ship here on the shore of this island, I would've sworn I saw a pirate ship here, and, the last time I checked, pirates are humans, are they not, Zoroark?"

"_These humans are exceptions,"_ said Zoroark. _"They brought my son home to me, and from what they have told me, you were the one who attempted to spirit him away from them."_

"Oh, Zoroark, you misunderstand," said Moss. "We only meant to save Zorua from those vicious pirates and-"

"_Enough!"_ Zoroark said. _"I do not have any time for what you say. If you will not leave, then I have no choice but to force you off this island!"_

"So be it," said Moss, dropping his grin. "Mightyena! Get her!"

Suddenly, Mightyena lunged out from behind Moss' back and tackled Zoroark before she could react quick enough. However, Zoroark proved to have quick reflexes, for she kicked Mightyena off of her the moment the dog-like Pokemon had her pinned to the ground. She then turned on Mightyena, tackling him to the ground and biting him hard on his leg.

"Mightyena! Thunder Fang, now!" Moss ordered.

**CHOMP! KRRZZZZZZT!** Mightyena bit down on Zoroark's arm, sending a huge jolt of electricity through her body. Zoroark roared in pain and let go of Mightyena.

"Now, use Shadow Ball!" Moss ordered.

Mightyena opened his mouth, where a ball of black energy began to form, and he fired it at Zoroark, who leapt out of the way at the last second, causing it explode on the trunk of a tree.

"_Nice try!"_ Zoroark exclaimed before she crossed her arms and fired her dark laser at Mightyena.

"A Dark Pulse," said Moss. "Mightyena! Dodge it, quick!"

**WHUP!** Mightyena jumped back before the Dark Pulse could hit him. As Zoroark landed on the ground, she suddenly tensed up.** KOFF!** She gagged and coughed up more blood, which Moss noticed, for he smirked.

"Vice-Admiral Moss, sir," said a Marine soldier. "It appears that Zoroark might be internally injured."

"So I see," said Moss. "This is going to be easier than I thought. Mightyena! Use Shadow Ball!"

Mightyena barked before he fired another Shadow Ball at Zoroark, who covered her face with her arms in an attempt to block it. **BOOM!** It ended up exploding the moment it made impact with her body. Zoroark coughed a bit from the smoke, so much so that she coughed up more blood than before.

_Dammit,_ she thought. _Why now, of all times?!_

"What's wrong, Zoroark?" asked Moss. "Feeling weak, are we?"

"_Weak, am I?"_ asked Zoroark. _"Don't make me laugh!"_

"Prove it, then," said Moss with a taunting smirk.

Zoroark growled, and her claws start to glow red.

"_I'll slice you into ribbons!"_ she declared.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWRRRK!** She roared before she lunged at Moss, who quickly pulled out his chained scythe. **KLANG!** Zoroark's claws ended up getting blocked by the chain.

"Nice try," said Moss.

**WHAP!** With a flick of his wrist, the Marine Vice-Admiral wrapped the chain of his kusarigama around Zoroark's arms, and then threw her up into the air, much to her surprise.

"Knuckle! If you would be so kind, dear brother!" Moss called.

**KRRACK!** Knuckled cracked his namesake and then, **POW!** He punched her right in the gut, sending her flying back and causing her to hit a tree. **KOFF!** She coughed up even more blood. Before she realized it, she had fallen down to her knees, panting heavily, the red liquid dripping her lips.

"This is the power of the legendary Zoroark?" asked Moss. "Ha! What a joke. I was hoping for more of a challenge, really. Oh, well." He then turned to the rest of the Marine soldiers. "Men! Leave Zoroark to my brother and I. Scour the forest and find the Straw Hat Pirates! Also…if you happen to find Zorua, as well as any other Pokemon here, capture them, as well."

"Yes, sir!" the Marines exclaimed with a salute.

Zoroark's eyes went wide when she heard that order.

"Knuckle," Moss called. "Put Zoroark in the cage."

Knuckle made a grunt before grabbing Zoroark roughly by her mane, the latter making an effort to escape from his grasp, before she is thrown inside a steel cage. The moment she was put in, though, the Illusion Fox Pokemon attempted to lunge at Knuckle and viciously lash out at him, only to ram her head right into the bars of the cage as soon as it closed. What's worse: the cage is now locked.

Moss chuckled as he and Mightyena approached the cage.

"Try and get out as you might, Zoroark," said the Vice-Admiral as he held up a key, "but you can't dream of getting out without this to help you."

"_Damn you!"_ Zoroark cursed. _"I thought you said you only came for me! What do you want my son and all the other Pokemon that live here for?!"_

"Why, you ask?" Moss questioned. "Oh, Zoroark. Surely, you would've known by now. I only want you because of your ability to create illusions, of course."

"_What are you getting at?"_ Zoroark questioned with a growl in her throat.

"Let's think of it, this way," said Moss. "Let's say that there is a human town in a far away. Everything seems peaceful. No war, no poverty, no nothing…and then suddenly, a horde of pirates appear and take over the place, destroying everything in their path, taking the lives of many innocent citizens, including women and children…and just when all hope seems lost, I, the great and valiant Vice-Admiral Moss, and of course my brother, Knuckle, come and save the day! The townsfolk are so grateful, they pay me handsomely in money, treasure, and fine delicacies…but they are completely unaware that it was you who caused those pirates to appear. The pirates are merely an illusion, and no one is the wiser."

Zoroark growled even more, clutching at the bars of the cage.

"_I refuse!"_ she barked. _"I will have no part in your foolish whim!"_

Moss snickered.

"I suspected as much," he said. "You see, this is where your little Zorua comes into the picture."

Zoroark's eyes went wide.

"Say that you decide that enough is enough and take one teensy step out of line," Moss explained. "Then what happens to your precious little one?"

Knuckled seemed to grin and chuckled before he picked up a nearby stone. **KRROOOSH!** He crushed effortlessly in his hands, and that's when Zoroark finally got the message.

If she didn't do what Moss wanted her to…he'd kill Zorua to break her will.

"_You wouldn't dare!"_ she said.

"Oh…I would," Moss replied. "How else do you think I got Mightyena to fall in line?"

Zoroark glanced at Mightyena, who has a somewhat scared and almost sad expression on his face, judging by his drooping ears and his tail being pulled in between his hind legs.

"_What about Straw Hat and his crew?"_ asked Zoroark. _"As well as the rest of the Pokemon that you intend to capture?!"_

"Why, Zoroark," said Moss, "don't you realize how big the bounty that Straw Hat Luffy and his little entourage have on their heads?" He then chuckled. "Oh, of course not. And why in the world would you not know? You're a dumb animal, after all."

Zoroark growled at that remark.

"When I deliver their heads to the World Government and collect their bounties," Moss continued, "then my brother and I will be come rich beyond our wildest dreams. As for the Pokemon I capture here, I plan to sell them on the black market. People would pay millions to have a Pokemon or two as an exotic pet, or even better: a slave animal."

"_You can't do that to them!"_ Zoroark roared.

"Oh, really?" Moss asked. "And just who, pray tell, is going to stop me?"

"How about me?!"

Moss turned around and saw none other than Luffy, who is standing atop a hill with his arms crossed in a confident manner, and sitting on top of his head is Zorua. The Vice-Admiral seemed surprised at first, but then he smirked.

"Well, well, well," said Moss. "'Straw Hat' Luffy."

"_Straw Hat!"_ Zoroark cried. _"What are you doing here, and with Zorua, no less?! I told you take him away from here!"_

"And what?" Luffy asked. "Miss out on the fun? Forget it! Besides, we couldn't just leave you here! What kind of friend to Zorua would I be if I let you get taken away by the Marines?"

"_We had to go back and get help, Momma!"_ Zorua exclaimed.

"Hey, Marine guy!" Luffy said. "After we save Zoroark, I'm gonna kick your ass, got that?"

Moss started to chuckle, then he began to cackle.

"'Kick my ass', you say?!" he asked. "You and what army, Straw Hat? Look around! I brought my best solders with me! And what have you got? Just you and that pipsqueak Zorua."

This time, it was Luffy who had to chuckle.

"What army, huh?" he asked. "Well, you asked for it!" He looked up at Zorua. "Zorua~?"

Zorua nodded before he took in a deep breath, and then…_**AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ He let out a loud, long howl that even made Luffy cover his ears.

A pause came, but soon, Luffy is joined by Zoro at his side, followed Nami, then Usopp, then Sanji, then Chopper, then Robin, then Franky, then Blizzard, then Brook, and not long after the Straw Hats appeared, all of Zorua's friends appeared as well: Pikachu, Tepig, Snivy, Oshawott, Eevee, Vulpix, Purrloin, Emolga, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour, all of them standing behind the Straw Hats and Zorua.

"What army?" Luffy repeated. "THIS army!"

The thousands of different Pokemon made loud cries of defiance at the Marines, who seemed to be cowering at the sight of them, but Moss still laughed.

"Well done, Straw Hat!" said Moss. "You just brought even more of those walking money bags to me! With this many Pokemon, I'll be buried in riches!" He then turned his army.

"Men!" he ordered. "Arrest the Straw Hats and capture all those Pokemon!"

"Yes, sir!" the Marines shouted before they charged at the Straw Hats and their army of creatures.

"CHARGE!" Luffy ordered to the Straw Hats, as well as the army of Pokemon behind him, and soon, they charged into battle as well.

"Gum GUUUUUUM…GATLING!" Luffy shouted.

**BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP!** The Straw Hat Captain started off with a barrage of punches that sent a great many Marine soldiers flying. He then turned to face some other Marines coming at him from behind, armed with cutlasses.

"_Luffy!"_ Zorua cried.

"Don't worry, Zorua! I got 'em!" Luffy exclaimed. "Gum-Gum WHIP!"

**WROING! POW!** Luffy stretched out his leg and slammed it into the soldiers behind him, giving a smirk as he did.

Zoro drew out his swords and rushed some Marine soldiers that were armed with rifles.

"Black Rope DRAGON TWISTER!" Zoro shouted as he spun around, creating a huge whirlwind of blades that soon began to chase the soldiers.

"WAAAAAAH! HELP! GET IT AWAY!"

"HOW LONG IS THIS WHIRLWIND GONNA CHASE US?!"

"…to the very ends of Hell," Zoro commented. That's when he spotted a few Marines charging at little Oshawott, who just stood his ground.

"Hey!" Zoro called. "Watch out, little guy! They're coming right at you!"

Oshawott didn't move, but instead, he grabbed the scalchop off his stomach, and then jumped up into the air above the Marines. **SWISH!** A blade made entirely out of water appeared out of the scalchop.

"OSHA~WOTT!" he cried.

**SLASH!** The water blade that came from Oshawott's scalchop actually cut the Marines.

"Wow!" Zoro praised. "Good job!"

"Osha! Oshawott!" Oshawott barked, as if thanking the swordsman.

"Diable Jambe!" Sanji cried, setting his leg aflame. "COLLIER STRIKE!"

**BAM!** The cook laid a powerful kick to a Marine soldiers' neck, leaving a huge burn, as well as a streak of fire that seemed to pierce through the flesh. **BLAM!** The force of the punch ended up sending the Marine, as well as several others behind him, flying into a boulder nearby.

"And stay down, you crap bastards!" Sanji snapped, but as he turned around, he saw Tepig, Pansear, and Vulpix, cornered into a tree by several more soldiers. For some reason, though, the cook didn't seem worried. In fact, he actually smirked.

"Now, you guys!" he shouted to the three Fire types.

Tepig, Pansear, and Vulpix each took in a deep breath, and then, **FWOOOSH!** They let out a huge stream of intense flames from their mouths (well, snout in Tepig's case), right at the Marines, burning them to a crisp in mere minutes!

Usopp pulled out his Black Kabuto and pulled on the strings.

"Certain Death Green Star…DEVIL!"

**TWANG! BOOSH!** A giant flytrap appeared from the Pop Green that the sniper had fired, and soon, **CHOMP!** They were eating Marine soldiers for lunch.

"Yeah!" Usopp cheered. "You don't mess with the Straw Hats!"

**KA-CHAK!** The sniper soon froze at the sound of guns cocking, and slowly turned around to see some more Marines, preparing to fire their rifles, and almost immediately, Usopp was overcome with a sense of panic.

"H-hey, wait a minute, fellas!" Usopp cried. "Can't we talk about this?!"

Just when the soldiers were about to open fire…

"PANSAGE!"

**BANG-BANG-BANG!** The Marines are soon bombarded by what looked like a barrage of…seeds.

"Seeds?" Usopp questioned before he turned and saw Pansage, sitting in a tree branch, hopping up and down in triumph, and he smiled.

"Thanks a lot, little buddy!"

"Pan Pansage!" Pansage cried, flashing a thumbs-up.

Meanwhile with Nami, she suddenly found herself surrounded by more Marine soldiers.

"You guys just don't know when to quit, do you?!" Nami asked before she heaved a sigh. "Fine! You leave me no choice!"

She points the tip of her Sorcery Clima-Tact at one of the soldiers, where are a small bubble began to form.

"Gust SWORD!"

**WHOOOOOOSH!** A huge gust of pressurized air came shooting out of the Sorcery Clima-Tact at high speed, sending several soldiers flying back.

Nami then turned to face Pikachu and Emolga.

"Listen, you two," she said to the two Electric types. "I gotta get the key to Zoroark's cage, so you gotta cover me, okay?"

"Chu!" Pikachu squeaked with a nod.

"Emol!" Emolga squeaked in agreement, as well.

Nami smiled before she raised her Sorcery Clima-Tact.

"Mirage TEMPO!"

**SWISH!** With a swing of her staff, Nami seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving Pikachu and Emolga to face their enemies by themselves.

As the Marines charged at the two Electric types…

"Pika…CHU~!"

"Emol…GA~!"

**KRRZZZZZZT! KABOOM!** The two let loose a powerful Thunderbolt at the Marines, literally putting a shock to their systems.

"Horn POINT!" Chopper cried as he shifted into his Horn Point form and burrowed his way underground beneath the Marines.

"W-where'd he go?!" asked a soldier.

"I don't know!" answered another.

"T-try firing in the holes!" cried one more.

Before one of them could even try the idea…

"Horn Cannon…ELF!"

**KROOSH! POW!** Chopper came flying out from underground, and soon goes flying, antlers-first into the Marines, sending them all crashing into the ground.

"Eevee! Panpour!" Chopper called. "Now!"

As the Marines stood up, they soon turned and saw Eevee and Panpour standing on a tree branch, both of whom had mouths gaping open. A black ball began to form inside Eevee's mouth while what boiling water came spilling out of Panpour's mouth.

**BOOM! SPLOOSH!** The two fired their attacks at the Marines, sending them scattering in a panic.

"AAGH! THE WATER! IT'S HOOOOOOOT!"

"Cuarenta Fleur!" Robin cried as she formed forty arms on several other Marines' bodies. "CLUTCH!"

**KRRACCK!** She made quick work of them by snapping their backs in half. As Robin turned around, she soon found more Marine soldiers advancing upon her, but then…

"SNIVY!"

**WHAP! WHAP!** The Marines were soon grabbed by long, slender, whip-like vines and pile-driven into the ground. Robin turned and saw that the vines originated from the collar around Snivy's neck, and she smiled.

"Thank you, Snivy!" she praised.

"Come on, you fools!" Moss shouted at his men. "You're not even trying! You outnumber them!"

Just then, in the midst of the chaos, Moss seemed to hear what sounded like footsteps approaching him from behind.

**WHAP!** He turned around and grabbed what appeared to be nothing, but when he did, a familiar yelp of surprise is heard: a yelp that Luffy recognized all too well.

"Nami!" Luffy cried.

"Let me go!" shouted Nami, who is currently invisible. "How did you know I was here, anyway?!"

"They didn't make me a Vice-Admiral of the Marines for nothing, you know," said Moss. "I have Observation Haki!"

"What?!" Nami questioned.

"Hehehehehe…!" Moss snickered as he prepared to draw his kusarigama and stab Nami where she stood, but all of a sudden, a purple blur suddenly glued itself to his face, digging it sharp claws deep into his skin and sending him screaming in pain.

"Mirage CANCEL!"

**SWISH!** With a swing of her Sorcery Clima-Tact, Nami made herself visible.

"Thanks, Purrloin!" she praised.

"Purrloin Purr!" Purrloin cried, her claws hooked into Moss's face.

"While he's busy," Nami said before she crept up behind the Vice-Admiral and grabbed the key to Zoroark's cage from his pocket, "I'll be taking this!"

With that, the cat burglar hurried to Zoroark's cage.

"GET OFF ME, YOU DAMN CAT!" Moss cursed as he tried pull the Devious Pokemon off his face. "KNUCKLE! MIGHTYENA! STOP HER!"

Just as Knuckle and Mightyena were about to heed that order, they are soon intercepted by Franky and Blizzard.

"Going somewhere?" asked Franky, flexing his robotic knuckles.

**GRRRRRR~!** Blizzard growled at Mightyena viciously.

Knuckle seemed to snicker as he cracked his namesakes before he threw his fist at Franky, who quickly blocked his punch with his left arm, and then, **BAP!** He punched the Marine Captain right in the jaw, and a sickening cracking sound soon followed.

Knuckle held his now broken jaw, but before he had a chance to try and realign it, **POW!** He found himself getting punched by Franky once again.

"Take THAT!" Franky shouted as he continued his jabs. "And that! And that! And this, too! FRANKY BOXING!"

**BAP! BAP! POW!** Franky continued to lay the old beat down on Knuckle, who had not been given one chance to fight back.

Meanwhile, Blizzard and Mightyena were locked in a complete stand-off.

"_Why do you follow that jackass Moss, anyway?"_ Blizzard asked.

Mightyena growled at Blizzard, but then that growl seemed to change into a whine, and he lowered his head and hooded his eyes.

"_I have no choice but to follow him,"_ said Mightyena. _"Moss is stronger than me."_

"_What honestly gave you the impression that Moss is stronger than you are?!"_ Blizzard asked.

"…_he killed my family,"_ Mightyena answered.

Blizzard's eyes widened.

"_That's why I have to do whatever Moss orders me to,"_ Mightyena said. _"Don't get me wrong. To be honest, I hate having to become that bastard's little sidekick…but if I don't do whatever Moss asks me to do, I'll meet the same fate."_

"…_he put fear in your heart,"_ Blizzard said. _"Of course…no wonder you're such a blind, spineless son of a bitch."_

"_What did you say?!"_ Mightyena questioned with a growl. _"I am not spineless!"_

"_Oh, really?"_ Blizzard asked. _"Then why don't you prove it? If you aren't as spineless as you say you are…then I dare you to stand up to Moss."_

Mightyena stared at Blizzard like he was speaking some other language.

Meanwhile, with Brook, he had just drew his cane sword, _Soul Solid_, which is enveloped in a chilling fog. As the Marines came charging at the skeleton, Brook just nonchalantly walked through them. As he did, he raised _Soul Solid_ and began to sheathe it.

"Song of Scratches…BLIZZARD SLICE!"

**CHINK! CRRAAAAKK!** Brook fully sheathed his sword, and the resulting cuts left on the Marines became frozen solid.

Moss, who had finally managed to pull Purrloin off his face, growled as he watched his army get defeated before his very eyes, and by a band of pirates and odd little creatures that they clearly outnumbered, but as the numbers began to dwindle, and Moss realized that only he, Knuckle, Mightyena, and maybe a good fifty soldiers were left, it soon began to dawn on him.

He was losing this battle…and he had to find a way to turn the tide.

He then spotted Zorua, who is still sitting on Luffy's head, and he smirked.

_That's it,_ he said before he pulled out a handgun. _I'll just kill two birds with one stone. Inside this pistol is a special sea prism stone bullet…not only will out cancel out Straw Hat's powers, but I'll blow his brains out. Plus, if I kill Zorua, well…at least Zoroark will be able to cooperate._

He began to take aim at Luffy, who is still preoccupied with fighting off the Marines, and because the Straw Hat captain was moving so much, he found it a bit difficult to target the back of Luffy's and Zorua's skulls.

Zoroark, who had been watching everything from her cage, looked on in horror before she began to shake and pull at the bars.

"_LET ME OUT OF THIS GODFORSAKEN CAGE!"_ Zoroark roared.

"Calm down!" Nami said as she grabbed the lock and pulled out the key. "I've got the key right here! I'll get you out in no time!"

_Easy now, Moss,_ the Vice-Admiral thought. _Just line them up…two heads…one bullet._

**CHAK!** Moss began to pull the trigger, which clicked, and caused Luffy to turn and face him.

"Huh?" Luffy asked. "A gun?! Are you kidding?! Bullets won't work on me!"

"Oh…you'd be surprised, Straw Hat," said Moss with a sinister grin.

"_HURRY!"_ Zoroark cried.

**CLACK!** Nami put the key in the lock and turned it, thus unlocking the cage, but before she had a chance to open it, Zoroark threw the cage door open, herself, unwittingly pushing Nami to the ground.

"Hey!" Nami shouted.

_**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRK!**_ Zoroark roared as she charged at Moss, who whipped around to see the Illusion Fox Pokemon lunging at him. In his shock, he pointed his gun at Zoroark, and then…the unthinkable.

**KABANG!** Moss pulled the trigger, firing the gun, and before Zoroark realized it, she was overcome with a stinging pain…right in the middle of her chest.

Everyone stared in shock and horror as Zoroark fell to the ground on her back in a crumpled heap, gasping in agony and clutching at her breast, which began ooze a crimson liquid.

"Z…Zoroark…!" Luffy whispered in disbelief.

"_Momma…!"_ Zorua whispered in horror, his eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"Dammit!" Moss cursed. "That was my only sea prism stone bullet, and I wasted it on this stupid beast!"

Zoroark weakly opened her eyes, and then looked to Luffy, who is still in shock at her actions, and Zorua, who looked just about ready to sob. Moss followed her gaze, but his eyes are mostly on Zorua, and he smirked.

"Well," he began, "if I can't have Zoroark…at least I can try and make due with Zorua, instead."

Zoroark let out another gasp, and she managed to pick herself up off the ground whilst still cradling her wound.

"_S…Straw Hat!"_ she called to Luffy, who looked to her. _"P…Please…I implore you…PROTECT ZORUA~!"_

**FWUMP!** Zoroark fell to the ground in a heap, once again…and she didn't move.

Luffy stared at Zoroark before he glanced at Moss, who began to approach him. Without warning, he suddenly turned tail and made a mad dash into the forest, and the Vice-Admiral soon gave chase after him.

"Chopper!" Luffy called as he ran. "I'll leave Zoroark to you!"

"_Please save my Momma, Chopper!"_ Zorua called, as well.

"You got it!" Chopper called back. "Be careful, Luffy, Zorua!"

"We will!" Luffy called.

With that, Luffy and Zorua escaped deeper into the forest, with Moss tailing not too far behind. As this was happening, Luffy looked back and saw not only Moss chasing him, Straw Hats soon gathering around Zoroark, who still lays motionless on the forest floor, Chopper pulling off his medical bag and pulling out a roll of gauze.

_Please, Zoroark,_ Luffy thought as he continued. _Please…don't die!_

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p>Okay, I'm REALLY SORRY about not updating this in a while! WRITER'S BLOCK IS A CURSE, I TELL YOU! Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up this weekend.<p>

Review, please!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, Captain Knuckle © Me

* * *

><p>"COME BACK HERE, STRAW HAT!"<p>

Luffy panted as he dashed through the forest, ducking beneath low branches and jumping over rocks. All the while, Zorua is still clinging to the back of his hat, trying hard not to lose his grip and fall, and Moss still chasing after the two.

"_Luffy, run faster!"_ Zorua cried. _"He's gaining on us!"_

"I…I'm running as fast as I can, Zorua!" Luffy replied between pants.

Suddenly, Luffy came to an abrupt stop when he realized he was about to fall off the very same cliff that Zoroark had chased him to earlier.

"Whoa!" Luffy cried, his feet nearly slipping off the edge. "Man, that was a close one!"

"_Luffy, look out!"_ Zorua cried, pointing behind the Straw Hat Captain.

Luffy turned around when he saw Moss throwing his kusarigama at him. Before he could react fast enough, **SHUNK! SPURT!** The chained scythe ended up penetrating Luffy's bandaged abdominals, causing a large amount of blood to come spraying out of the cut. Luffy cried out in pain, but he managed to pulled out the blade of the scythe from his stomach, but in doing so, he had accidentally lost his footing, and he and Zorua ended slipping down the cliff. Luckily, the former managed to grab the latter and curled up into a ball as he and Zorua tumbled down together until they landed on the ground below with a **THUD!** Luffy ended up landing on his back, clutching Zorua to his front. At that moment, the Tricky Fox Pokemon noticed that his human friend had a rather strained face on.

"_Luffy, what's wrong?"_ Zorua asked. _"Are you okay?"_ He suddenly felt something warm, wet, and maybe a little goopy oozing onto his paws. Looking down, he saw that Luffy's stomach had begun to bleed, and rather heavily at that. He gasped in shock.

"_Luffy!"_ Zorua cried. _"You're bleeding, again!"_

"Damn!" Luffy cursed as he attempted to sit up. "That Marine bastard…opened up my wounds, again!"

Moss laughed before he proceeded to jump down the cliff to go after Luffy and Zorua, once more.

"Now to finish you off, Straw Hat!" he declared.

"_Luffy!"_ Zorua cried. _"Luffy, get up! He's coming!"_

Luffy looked up at Moss, who cackled as he drew ever closer to the pair. Gathering whatever strength he had left, the Straw Hat captain picked Zorua up and ran off into the forest once more, but Moss was hot on his tail.

"What's wrong, Straw Hat?!" Moss asked. "Are you a coward?!"

_I'm no coward!_ Luffy thought. _I just can't fight with Zorua here!_

**SLASH!** Moss attempted to cut Luffy's head clean off his shoulders from behind with his kusarigama, but the latter managed to sense it in time, thanks to his Observation Haki, and ducked down to avoid the blade, which ended up cutting through the trunk of a huge tree in his stead. **KREEEK! THOOM!** The tree ended up tottering over and falling down to the ground. Fortunately, it ended up falling in front of Moss, therefore giving Luffy and Zorua some distance between him and themselves. Unfortunately, Luffy couldn't get too far. He had to stop and catch his breath, so he hid himself behind a tree with Zorua.

"This isn't looking good, Zorua," said Luffy, his breathing a bit labored. "We can't…run from this guy forever. We gotta…fight back, eventually!"

**Plip! Plip! Plip!** Small droplets of blood dripped from Luffy's open wound, staining the grass beneath his feet.

"_Luffy,"_ Zorua said, sitting on the ground with a concerned expression. _"Your tummy is bleeding really bad."_

**Huff! Huff! Huff!** Luffy panted as he clutched his wound, the blood seeping through his fingers. He seethed in pain as his wound began to throb. Just then, he turned around, looking to the dense foliage behind him.

"_What's wrong?"_ Zorua asked.

"That Marine guy," said Luffy. "He's coming. I can sense him." He then turned to face Zorua. "Zorua, you better get outta here! Find somewhere safe to hide or something! I'll hold him off for as long as I can!"

"_No!"_ Zorua said. _"I'm not leaving you here to die!"_

"I'm not asking!" Luffy barked, but not too loudly so that Moss would hear him. "Zorua…your mom told me to protect you, and I don't intend to let her down! If something happened to you…she'll never forgive me. Do you understand?"

"_But Luffy-,"_ Zorua started.

"Just go!" Luffy ordered. "If he catches us both, it'll be too late!"

"…_no,"_ Zorua answered.

Luffy seethed.

"Why are you being so stubborn and hardheaded?!" he questioned.

"_Because I should be able to fight with you!"_ Zorua answered. _"You, Momma, and everyone else got to fight for me, so now I should be able to do the same for you!"_

Luffy just stared at Zorua.

"_After all,"_ Zorua began, _"we're…friends forever, right?"_

A pause, but then Luffy seemed to smile.

"Yeah," he replied. "Friends forever, Zorua."

Zorua smiled back at Luffy, but in spite of the tender moment, the sound of a twig snapping beneath the sole of a heavy boot reminded them of the matter at hand.

"That's right," Luffy muttered. "We still gotta take care of that guy!"

"_So what do we do?"_ Zorua asked.

Luffy quizzically cupped his chin in his hand, making a soft but distinct hum until his eyes went wide.

"I got it!" he said.

XXX

**SWISH! SLISH! SLASH!** Moss cut down any stray plant-life in his way as he continued to trudge through the forest in search of Luffy and Zorua.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are~!" Moss called in mock singsong. "I know you're here somewhere!"

A pause, but when Moss was met with silence, he growled.

"You and Zorua can't hide forever, Straw Hat!" Moss called. "Show yourselves!"

Just then, **WHOOSH!** A shadowy figure dashed by out of the corner of the Vice-Admiral's eye. He turned around fast and saw none other than Luffy, who seemed to gasp at the sight before sprinting off, deeper into the forest.

"Straw Hat!" Moss shouted before he gave chase. "Come back here!"

Luffy panted as he kept running as fast as he could, jumping over hollow logs and splashing through a shallow creek before he was about to enter an upcoming clearing, but before long…

"Not so fast, Straw Hat!" Moss barked.

**SLASH!** The Vice-Admiral swung his kusarigama at Luffy, who ducked down to avoid the blade. However, he ended up stumbling on the ground until he fell into the clearing.

Moss snickered as he approached Luffy from behind, but as he came closer, he spotted something that made him gasp in disbelief.

For some reason…Luffy had a big, bushy, grayish-purple tail sticking out of his backside!

"What the hell?!" Moss questioned. "Zorua! It's you!"

**GLEEEAM! FWIP!** "Luffy" began to glow purple and shrank in size, and when the light dispersed, it is revealed to be none other than Zorua, who snickered at Moss.

"_Gotcha,"_ he said.

"But if you're here," Moss started, "then where's-"

"Looking for me?!"

Moss looked up at one of the nearby trees and saw, to his shock, that the real Luffy is perched on one of the branches, his knees bent, his body steaming, and his skin a hot pink.

"Gear…SECOND!"

Moss seemed surprised at first, but then he smirked.

"Fine," he said. "I'll deal with you first, and then I'll take Zorua for my own."

"Zorua!" Luffy called to the Tricky Fox Pokemon. "Go! You've done enough!"

Zorua nodded before he ran off to hide.

"Before we start, Straw Hat," Moss started, "I want to ask you a little something. Why do you put your life on the line for these pathetic Pokemon?"

"…pathetic?" Luffy repeated, questioningly.

"Yes," replied Moss. "Pokemon are nothing more than mindless creatures. The only thing they're good for is to be used as tools and fodder, and yet you fight for them, just like Zoroark." He then smirked. "You're being just as foolish she is, as well as all the other Pokemon here!"

Luffy's eyes went wide.

"I mean, really," Moss said, "that stupid beast went and chose her own demise! What a waste."

Luffy gritted his teeth and growled.

"You're the one who's pathetic!" he spat.

"Hmm?" Moss hummed, questioningly.

"You think that because Zoroark sacrificed herself to save Zorua, it makes her foolish!" Luffy barked. "You're wrong. Zoroark didn't sacrifice herself because she was being a fool! She fights because she has someone she loves and wants to protect! That's why the Pokemon on this island fight, too! They fight because they know that they're all they have in this world! They fight because they're family! They love and wanna protect one other, just like how I love and wanna protect my friends! That's all the reason I need!"

_Luffy,_ Zorua thought, watching from within the tall grass.

"Big talk coming from such a little man," said Moss. "I can't wait to cut off that head of yours so I won't have to listen to your incessant bark anymore, and as soon as I'm done with you, Straw Hat, rounding up your little crew, as well as Zorua and all the Pokemon will be all too easy!"

"Wanna bet?" Luffy questioned before he raised his arms, one fist cocked back and the other held out, as if he was looking through a crosshair and taking aim.

"JET PISTOL!"

**BAP!** Moss is suddenly struck in the stomach by a punch that was so fast, that it looked like Luffy barely even moved, at all. The force of the punch was so strong, it sent the Vice-Admiral flying into a nearby tree.

"Now you've really got me riled," Moss hissed as he pulled himself off the tree's trunk, where an imprint of his body is left. The moment he got to his feet, he started to swing the chain of his kusarigama again.

**WHOOSH!** He threw the weight at the other end of the chain, hoping to snag Luffy where he stood, but Luffy disappeared before the weight could so much as touch him.

"Where'd he go?!" Moss questioned, looking around in hopes of finding the Straw Hat Captain. He didn't have to look for long, for he soon found Luffy standing right behind him.

"JET BULLET!"

**POW!** Luffy punched Moss in the face, knocking at least 4 teeth.

"GAAAAAAH!" Moss screamed as he is soon sent crashing into the ground, once again.

"What's wrong, Marine guy?" Luffy asked. "Can't keep up?"

Moss growled as he grabbed his chained scythe. **SLASH!** He swung the blade at Luffy's side, only to miss when the pirate disappeared, once again.

"Damn him!" he shouted.

"JET WHIP!"

**BAM!** From out of nowhere, Luffy's outstretched leg struck Moss in the back, sending him crashing into another tree. When Moss turned to face Luffy, he had disappeared again. The Vice-Admiral growled again, his frustration growing higher.

"Show yourself, Straw Hat!" he shouted.

"Zoroark says that people lose concentration when they get frustrated," said Luffy, who is perched on another tree branch.

Moss stood up, holding his head before he looked up and growled at Luffy. He threw the blade of his kusarigama at him, only for the Straw Hat Captain to disappear, again, and reappear right in midair.

"JET STAMP!"

**KABAM!** Luffy's stamped his foot right into Moss's stomach, causing him to cough up blood.

_Dammit!_ Moss cursed in his head as he fell to his knees. _I can predict his moves, but he's just too fast! I can hardly keep up with him! C'mon, Moss! Think! He has to have a weak point somewhere! Everyone does!_

From his hiding place, Zorua smiled as he watched Luffy getting the upper hand against Moss so easily, despite his wound.

"_Luffy's so strong!"_ the little fox whispered.

**FWIP!** Luffy suddenly appeared beside Moss, his arm stretched out and twisted behind him.

"JET RIFLE!"

**KAPOW!** Luffy sent a fast, spinning punch at Moss's chest, once again sending him flying. However, as soon as that blow landed, Luffy suddenly started to stagger. **PLURT!** Some blood squirted out of his stomach, and before long, he fell to his knees, panting.

"Not good…!" Luffy muttered. "I've lost too much blood, already!"

"So I see," said Moss with a grim smirk.

**WHOOSH!** He threw the chain of his kusarigama around Luffy's body, binding his arms, thus rendering him unable to move.

"Not the Sea Prism Stone again…!" Luffy seethed.

Zorua gasped in shock while Moss snickered.

"Well, well, Straw Hat," said Moss as he approached Luffy, holding the scythe of his kusarigama. "Looks like I finally have you right where I want you."

**BAM!** Moss stamped his foot right into Luffy's throat, pinning him down against the ground.

"Now then," Moss began, "how to proceed with finishing you off is the question. Should I just slice your head off quickly and be done with it? Or should I just let you suffer some more and slowly slit your throat wide open?"

Luffy gagged as he tried to pull Moss's foot off his neck.

"Hmm…I think I'll just go ahead and get it over with," Moss with a snicker before he raised his scythe with a sinister chuckle.

Zorua gasped again, this time in horror.

"Say 'goodbye', Straw Hat Luffy!" Moss exclaimed as he prepared to bring the scythe down on Luffy's throat.

Suddenly, Zorua began to feel something welling up inside of him, and he began to growl viciously.

"_NO!"_ he shouted before he opened his mouth wide, and when he did, a ball of blackish-purple energy began to form before he fired it right at Moss, and when it made impact, it exploded right in Moss's face. The Vice-Admiral staggered and coughed for a moment, but as the smoke from the ball cleared, he saw Zorua coming out of the tall grass, looking very angry.

"_You leave Luffy alone!"_ he barked.

Luffy gasped in surprise when he saw Zorua but when he did, he noticed that the chain of Moss's kusarigama had loosened.

"Well, well," said Moss. "It looks like you know a few moves after all, Zorua. Still…that won't save you!"

Zorua growled at Moss, his fur bristling.

"Zorua! Run away!" Luffy shouted.

Zorua just stood in his place before he jumped at Moss's face and bit him right on his nose, sending him screaming in pain.

"GET OFF!" he cried. "GET OFF, I SAID!"

While Moss was busy trying to pry Zorua off his face, he didn't notice that Luffy was beginning to pull the chain of his kusarigama off, freeing himself of the effects of the Sea Prism Stone.

"I said…LET GO!" Moss cried before he pulled Zorua off his face. "You little fleabag! I'll teach you a lesson!"

**WHAK!** He kicked Zorua right into a tree, head-first, much to Luffy's shock.

"Zorua!" he cried.

**FWUMP!** Zorua fell to the ground…but he didn't move.

Luffy stared at the motionless fox with eyes as wide as saucers, but then he started to feel his blood boil. He turned to Moss with eyes narrowed and brow stitched, a vein beginning to appear on his forehead as he began to approach the Vice-Admiral, who turned to look at him.

"What?!" Moss questioned. "How did you get free?!"

Luffy didn't answer.

"Humph," Moss scoffed. "No matter. It's still the end for you!"

**WHOOSH!** He swung his chained scythe at Luffy, who grabbed the weapon by the blade and gave it a hard squeeze. **KRIK! KRAAK!** The scythe shattered in Luffy's fist, much to Moss's shock. As the Straw Hat Captain began to approach the Vice-Admiral, and as he did, his arm began to turn black and shiny. Moss gasped before he looked at Luffy, who had a vicious glare in his eyes. Before he knew it, he found himself cornered against a tree.

"W…wait!" Moss cried, his knees shaking and his hands clasped together. "No! Please! I'm begging you, Straw Hat, please don't kill me!"

A pause, but then Luffy raised his blackened his fist.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGH!" he roared.

**KAPOW!** Luffy delivered a devastating punch to Moss's jaw, sending him flying off into the distance.

**THOOM!** The Vice-Admiral ended up landing somewhere in the forest, in very great pain. As he steadily picked himself up off the ground, he realized that he couldn't move his jaw, for the lower half dangled as if it were unhinged.

"Herro?! (Hello?!)" Moss called. "Ith ahyone dere?! (Is anyone there?!)"

Suddenly, Moss heard what sounded like bushes rustling close behind him. Turning around, he saw none other than Mightyena.

"Miheyena! (Mightyena!)" Moss called. "Ith yoo! (It's you!)"

Mightyena just stood there, but then he began to growl viciously, baring his sharp fangs, which crackled with electricity, much to Moss's confusion, but as Mightyena began to prowl towards him, he soon started to get the message.

"W…whath ah yoo thoing (W…what are you doing)?" Moss questioned. "Sthop it, yoo thupid bees! THAY BACK (Stop it, you stupid beast! STAY BACK!)"

Mightyena roared as he lunged at Moss, his mouth agape. **KRRZZZZT! KABOOM!** A huge bolt electricity shot up into the sky, followed by an explosion, and then…silence.

XXX

Back at the clearing, Luffy held the limp Zorua in his arms, a worried expression on his face.

"Zorua?" Luffy called. "You okay, little buddy?"

A pause, but then, Zorua slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Luffy.

"_L…Luffy?"_ Zorua asked.

"Hey!" Luffy said with a smile. "You took a pretty bad hit to the noggin! You okay?"

"_I think so,"_ said Zorua. _"Luffy…did you see me?"_

"Yeah," said Luffy. "I know it wasn't much, but you held your own for a little while. I bet your mom would've been proud of you."

Zorua smiled at Luffy, but at that moment, realization hit the both of them like a ton of bricks.

"Oh, my god!" Luffy exclaimed. "Your mom! Zorua, we gotta get back there!"

"_You're right!"_ Zorua agreed.

With that, the two ran off, back the way they came, hoping that Zoroark had survived.

XXX

About maybe ten minutes later, Luffy and Zorua returned to the rest of the Straw Hat crew, as well as the other Pokemon. Once there, they found many Marines, especially Captain Knuckle, sprawled around on the ground, defeated…and the Straw Hats, as well as Zorua's friends, surrounding Zoroark, who is still crumpled up in a motionless heap.

When the Straw Hats and the Pokemon looked at Luffy with somber expressions on their faces…Luffy immediately began to fear the worst.

"Luffy," Chopper said, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I…I managed to get bullet out, but…but…!"

"There was nothing else we could do," Nami concluded, also tearful.

Luffy gasped silently, a look of horror etched on his face.

"We're sorry, Luffy," Robin apologized.

Blizzard whimpered, his head and ears drooping. The Pokemon made their own distinct cries, but they sounded sad and almost ready to burst into tears themselves. However, the one who seemed the most saddened of all…is Zorua.

The little fox approached his mother's limp and lifeless body and stared at her sadly.

Zoroark's body is covered in scratches, and she had blood dripping out of her mouth and from the open wound in her chest.

**Plip! Plup!** Zorua's eyes began to well up with tears, and he sniffled.

"_Momma,"_ he muttered before he began to nudge his face against hers. _"Please…please, wake up, Momma! Please! I…I don't know what I'd do without you!"_

As Zorua sobbed, Luffy clutched at his chest, feeling a familiar pain beginning to throb in his heart. He chewed his lip, trying hard to hold back his tears. When he managed to compose himself, he approached Zorua from behind, dropped down to one knee, and gently pet the tuft of fur on Zorua's hair, causing the Tricky Fox to look up at him, his eyes puffy and red.

"I'm really sorry about your mom, Zorua," said Luffy.

Zorua sniffled before he jumped up into the raven-haired boy's arms, sobbing into his shoulder.

"_It's not fair!"_ he cried.

Luffy held Zorua closely, his eyes squinted tightly shut in an effort to keep his tears from escaping.

_Dammit, Luffy, don't you cry, now!_ he thought to himself, but it seemed in vain, for a single tear ended up falling out of his eye. He heaved a sigh before he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"Zorua?" Luffy asked. "Would you like us to give your mom a proper burial?"

Zorua stared up at Luffy before he nodded.

"Okay," said Luffy as he set Zorua down and walked to a nearby tree. "Zoro, Sanji, Blizzard. Help me dig."

"Right," said the three Straw Hats before they went to help their captain dig Zoroark's grave.

As the Monster Quartet was busy and Brook prepared to play a funeral march, the others decided to take care of Zoroark's corpse. Chopper reached down and picked up Zoroark's arm, but when he did, his eyes suddenly went wide in surprise.

"A…a pulse…!" Chopper whispered.

"What?" Nami asked.

"She still has a pulse!" Chopper answered, causing the Straw Hats and the Pokemon to gasp.

"LUFFY!" Chopper called, frantically. "LUFFY, COME QUICK! ZOROARK STILL HAS A PULSE! SHE'S STILL ALIVE!"

"What?!" Luffy asked in disbelief before he ran over to Zoroark and grabbed her wrist. He gasped when he felt a small but noticeable pulse.

Without warning, Luffy rolled Zoroark over onto her back, sat on her stomach, but not too hard, and opened her mouth.

"Nami, please don't get jealous!" Luffy said to the navigator, who looked at him quizzically.

Luffy put his hands on Zoroark's chest, right where her heart is, and began to press down at least five times before he took in deep breath, grabbed Zoroark's face, and breathed into her mouth. Now, if a normal person ever saw this, they'd be disgusted at the sight of a 19-year-old boy doing CPR on some strange-looking fox creature, but the Straw Hats and the Pokemon knew that Luffy was doing whatever he felt like he could to save Zoroark's life.

Zorua watched in anticipation as Luffy continued the pattern: press on Zoroark's heart five times, breathe into her mouth, and repeat.

After what felt like hours, Luffy finally got a reaction: he heard a gag come from Zoroark. He quickly jumped off of Zoroark's stomach, allowing her to sit up. **KOFF! KOHOFF!** Zoroark gasped and coughed until she felt like she could really breathe again. Once she did, she looked around and saw Luffy, his crew, and the Pokemon.

"_Straw Hat,"_ Zoroark muttered. _"You…you saved me."_

Luffy just flashed his signature toothy grin.

"_M…Momma?"_ Zorua asked, a hopeful smile on his face as tears began to form in his eyes, once more: tears of joy.

Zoroark smiled at her son and nodded her head.

"_Momma!"_ Zorua cried before he jumped into her arms and nuzzled her face, affectionately. _"You're okay!"_

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH~!" Franky bawled. "That is just so precious~!"

Robin just chuckled.

"_Momma, I'm so sorry!"_ Zorua said.

"_About what, my son?"_ asked Zoroark.

"_When I said that I hate you!"_ Zorua answered. _"I didn't mean to say it! I was just mad because-"_

"_Shh,"_ Zoroark shushed her son. _"No, Zorua. If one must apologize, it should be me. When I lost you in that storm…I was afraid I'd never see you again, but when I got you back, I was so determined not to lose you again that…I lost sight of what was truly important: your happiness."_ She then turned to look at Luffy.

"_Thank you so much, Straw-"_ she stopped when she was about to say Luffy's epithet. _"Thank you…Luffy. Thank you…everyone. Because of you, the Pokemon of Lostlorn Island, as well as Zorua, are all safe."_

"No problem, Zoroark," Nami said with a smile.

"It's just something us Straw Hats do," said Sanji. "Think nothing of it."

Suddenly, **FWUMP!** The Straw Hats heard something collapse behind themselves. Turning around, they saw that it is Luffy, lying flat on the ground.

"Luffy!" the Straw Hats cried.

"Luffy, are you okay?!" Nami asked as she dropped to her knees and pulled her captain into her lap.

"Oh, no!" Chopper exclaimed as he took a lot at Luffy's reopened wound. "He must've almost bled out again!"

"It's not just that," said Luffy, weakly.

"_Then what's the problem?!"_ asked Blizzard.

A slight pause.

"I'm…"

"Yeah?" Zoro asked.

"What is it, Luffy?!" Usopp.

"…I'm hungry."

**GRRUUUUUUUUUMBLE!** Luffy's stomach let out a huge growl, and everyone except Robin heaved a mixed sigh of annoyance and slight relief.

"I could sure go for some meat right now," Luffy said.

"You idiot," Nami chastised. "Worry about your wounds first and then your stomach."

"Heh…I guess you're right," said Luffy before he broke out in laughter, and soon, the Straw Hats, Zorua, Zoroark, and all the other Pokemon joined him as well.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy called to his crew. "Since we won…you know what that means, right?"

The Straw Hats seemed confused at first, but then they smiled once they got the general idea.

"PARTY TONIGHT~!" Luffy shouted, earning a cheer of agreement from his crew

"But first, we need to get Luffy's and Zoroark's wounds treated!" Chopper pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," Luffy muttered.

And so, after throwing the Marines back on board their battleship (although unable to find Moss and Mightyena, somehow) and setting them adrift, and after Luffy and Zoroark had their injuries treated by Chopper, the Straw Hats held possibly the biggest bonfire party they ever had that night, and the Pokemon joined in on the festivities. They all enjoyed a feast of meat, fish, sake (which the Pokemon decided not to drink after they had their first taste of it), and roasted berries that even Luffy and Blizzard enjoyed, sang songs, danced, and made merry, and this lasted for nearly five whole days.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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><p>Sorry if the fight wasn't very epic.<p>

Review, please!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard, Vice-Admiral Moss, Captain Knuckle © Me

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><p>Morning on the <em>Thousand Sunny<em>. Chopper, Usopp, and Brook lie sprawled on the deck, looking absolutely exhausted. After five whole days of nonstop partying, they just had to stop.

"Ugh…who knew that Pokemon knew how to party?" asked Usopp. "I'm beat!"

"Me, too," Chopper added.

"Yohoho…hoho…." Brook panted.

Sanji sighed as he and Zoro carried the last barrel of fruit and meat onto the ship and into the storage room.

"That's the last of the food," he said. "This should last us for at least a few weeks…or until Luffy gets hungry and inhales everything again."

"And we still have plenty of booze left over," said Zoro.

"_Hey, Chopper,"_ Blizzard called, carrying a bundle of plants in his mouth. _"Here are some of the herbs Zoroark said we could have."_

"Just put them in the sick bay, please," said Chopper. "I'll store them away as soon as I get my energy back."

Blizzard nodded before he headed for the sick bay with the herbs.

"Franky!" Nami called. "Is the ship ready to sail?"

"SUPER ready!" Franky answered.

"Now we all need to do is wait for Luffy," said Nami. "Where is he?"

"He and Zorua are saying their last goodbyes," Robin replied.

"Well, I can understand that," Nami said, "but they better hurry. The log could set at any minute."

On the shore of the island, Luffy, Zorua, Zoroark, and all the other Pokemon stood face-to-face. There seemed to be a long, almost eerie silence, but it was soon broken by the sound of Luffy heaving a sigh.

"Well, Zorua," said Luffy. "I…guess this is it."

"_Yeah,"_ said Zorua. _"…are you sure you have to leave now, Luffy? You could stay and play a little bit longer! Please?"_

"Sorry, Zorua," Luffy apologized, "but…we can't stay here much longer. We're pirates, so…we don't stay in one place for very long."

"_Oh,"_ Zorua muttered, his ears drooping.

"Unless…you wanna come with us," Luffy inquired.

Zorua shook his head.

"_That does sound nice,"_ said the little fox, _"but I can't go with you guys. When I grow up, I have to protect all my friends and this island when Momma leaves."_

Luffy smiled down at Zorua.

"In that case, you better get stronger, okay?" he asked.

"_I will!"_ Zorua answered with a determined expression.

"Luffy!" Nami called. "I understand that you're trying to say goodbye, but you might wanna hurry it up, honey! We gotta leave, soon!"

"I'm coming, Nami!" Luffy called back before he turned to the Pokemon. "Zorua…Zoroark…take care of each other."

"_I shall,"_ said Zoroark. _"Thank you, once again, Luffy."_

"And that goes for the rest of you little guys," Luffy said to the rest of the Pokemon. "Be careful, okay?"

The Pokemon all made their little cries of agreement, and Luffy chuckled.

"Well…I better get going, then," he said before he turned to leave.

"_Luffy!"_

Luffy turned back around to look at Zorua, who looked back at him with teary eyes.

"_You'll…you'll come back and see me again, won't you?"_ asked Zorua.

(A/N: Cue "Unwavering Emotions" from Pokemon Black and White version)

A pause, but then Zorua felt a gentle pair of hands picking him up off the ground and pulling him into a soft embrace.

"Of course I'll come back and see you again," said Luffy.

**Plip! Plip!** Zorua suddenly felt something wet falling onto his head. Looking up he saw small beads of tears…falling from Luffy's eyes.

Zorua seemed surprised, at first, but then he hid his face into Luffy's chest and sobbed, too. Even the rest of the Pokemon have tears in their eyes. The only one who remained strong was Zoroark.

"Luffy!" Nami called again.

Luffy sniffled before he wiped his eyes and put Zorua back down.

"Okay," he said. "I…I gotta get going, now, so…see ya."

With that, Luffy turned to leave once more, and Zoroark and the Pokemon did the same.

"_Come, little ones,"_ said Zoroark. _"Let us return home."_

The Pokemon turned to follow Zoroark…except Zorua, who remained behind, staring after Luffy as he walked up the gangplank and boarded _Sunny_.

"_Luffy!"_ Zorua called. _"Everyone!"_

The Straw Hats looked up when they heard Zorua's voice.

"_Don't forget,"_ Zorua called, _"we're friends forever!"_

Luffy grinned and chuckled before he flashed a thumbs-up.

"We'll never forget!" he called.

"Bye, Zorua!" Nami called as she waved.

"Take it easy, Zoroark!" called Chopper. "Make sure you don't do anything to reopen your wounds, again!"

"Take care!" Robin called.

"Hey, Oshawott!" Zoro called. "When I come back, maybe we'll have a spar, sometime!"

"Osha! Oshawott!" Oshawott chirped.

"Until we meet again!" Brook called out.

"Stay SUPER!" Franky shouted.

"Tepig! How about you help me make another banquet fire the next time we meet?!" Sanji asked.

"Tepig!" Tepig cried before he snorted out a small blaze through his snout.

"See ya around!" Usopp exclaimed.

_**AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ Blizzard howled.

_**AWWOOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ Zorua howled back before he turned to follow Zoroark and all his friends, and before long, they all disappeared within the forest.

Luffy smiled before he turned to face his crew, who all smiled back at him.

"All right, you guys!" Luffy shouted before he threw his fists into the air. "SET SAIL~!"

"YEAH~!" the Straw Hats cheered in agreement.

And so, with the Marines defeated and the Pokemon Lostlorn Island safe from harm, the Straw Hats set sail in search of their next adventure in the New World. What could it be, one may ask? Well, that is an entirely different story for an entirely different time.

**THE END**

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><p>Well, that's it! The end! Man, am I glad I finished this, and I'm considering doing another one!<p>

Review, please!


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